TICs e saúde pública: análise da produção de conhecimento e implicações ao trabalho de assistentes sociais

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze the production of knowledge in the Brazilian Social Work field regarding Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in public health and the unfolding of this insertion in the daily work of social workers, specifically in relation to institutional demands and requirements. To this end, the research focused on the scientific knowledge produced within the 38 Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Programs in area 32 (Social Work) of CAPES (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education), in the last decade (2015-2024). In this context, this dissertation was guided by the following general objective: to analyze the use of ICTs in public health and their implications for the work of social workers, based on the production of knowledge in the Brazilian Social Work field over the last decade (2015-2024), with a view to fostering support for the professional qualification of social workers in the health field. Regarding the specific objectives, the research aimed to: reflect on the socio-historical determinants of the relationship between technology, work, and health policy and their implications for the work of social workers; characterize the main aspects of knowledge production in the field of social work that relate ICTs to the work of social workers in public health; unveil, in the scientific production of the area, the interface between ICTs and daily work, considering institutional requirements and user demands in the face of the challenges encountered in Brazilian public health. The investigation, of a quantitative and qualitative nature, is guided by historical-dialectical materialism, articulating bibliographic and documentary research. To this end, 21 academic productions (19 dissertations and 2 theses) selected from the CAPES Theses and Dissertations Portal were analyzed, based on a data collection guide organized from 4 analytical categories: Work, Health, Technology, and State, conducted using the Content Analysis technique. The results reveal that, although there has been a growing incidence of the topic in the field of Social Work more recently, the production relating ICTs and professional work in public health is still incipient and transversal. Analyses of theses and dissertations point to the fact that the increasing transformation of socio-institutional requirements and demands has also occurred through the insertion and advancement in the use of ICTs in public health. Another important finding of the research is the deepening of the contradictions between the expansion of services and the more frequent use of ICTs by professionals and users, and, on the other hand, the continued indicators of digital exclusion among the population using the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). The data are unsettling and demonstrate the need for intensified research in this field.