Work process of nurses from Primary Health Care in Paraná in the COVID-19 pandemic:: use of Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are indispensable tools for communication today. With the establishment of the COVID-19 pandemic, services, health professionals and the population had to adapt to new health policies and the use of ICTs was highlighted in the fight against the pandemic. Thus, the study aims to analyze the perceptions of nurses in Primary Health Care (PHC) about the use of ICTs in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study integrates national multicentric research of mixed method. Data collection occurred through recorded online interviews, with structured forms, between October 2020 and May 2021. For this study, we present the qualitative data of the matrix research referring to the work process of nurses in health units, in thirteen municipalities of the State of Paraná, with the participation of 74 nurses in the qualitative stage. The qualitative data analysis followed the premises of thematic analysis. ICT has proved increasingly indispensable in the routine of the population. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, its use was intensified and, although it still requires adaptations and reviews about its use, nurses demonstrated that ICTs were important for the reception, monitoring, bonding, and continuity of care to PHC users.