"Comunicast": the podcast as a tool to enhance the work of Community Health Agents during and after the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: This work reports the experience of creation, development and some of the results already obtained with the podcast and university extension project “Comunicast: Communicating with the Community” carried out in the context of primary health care (PHC) in the city of Porto Alegre-RS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing was a fundamental strategy to prevent the spread of the virus, and this measure made urgent the reconfiguration of the work processes of the PHC teams of the Unified Health System (SUS), with the Community Health Agent as key figure in keeping alive the communication with users. Experience report: The development of the podcast by the residents of a Basic Health Unit - Primary is detailed. Its initial purpose was strengthening the contact with the enrolled population of their territory during the pandemic. During the first year of its development (2020), other purposes were perceived, considering its increasing potential in the ??health education perspective. The team that produces the programs includes residents in Multiprofessional PHC and Family and Community Medicine, Community Health Agents and medical students. Conclusion: The "Comunicast'' is an experience that enhances the creative possibilities in a PHC service, using audiovisual technologies to establish innovative ways of communicating with its users, from the perspective of health promotion with encouragement of community engagement, with the central participation of Community Agents Health Agents. Keywords: Primary Health Care, Community Health Agents, Multiprofessional Team, Health Education, Diffusion of Innovation.