Mapeamento das dissertações produzidas em um mestrado profissional na Amazônia

Abstract

The personal and professional development at the higher education level, coordinated by Capes, has significantly expanded high-level academic and professional human resources. The Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), the first higher education institution in Brazil, plays a crucial role in building the scientific community in the Northern region, with over 300 research groups recognized by CNPq and 39 stricto sensu graduate programs. Many graduate programs, especially those in the health field, fail to achieve a satisfactory score in the triennial evaluation conducted by CAPES. Considering the evaluation parameters set by CAPES, this study aimed to assess the dissertations produced by PPGRACI during its five years of implementation and develop a guidance manual for professional master's dissertation projects. To improve the quality of research in the health field, the SQUIRE EDU protocol from the Equator Network was used, which provides revised standards for excellence in quality reporting. The methods used included document analysis based on research in official documents from the CAPES information system and the UFAM dissertation database, along with a survey conducted with former students of the program. After submission and approval by the CEP, the questionnaire was sent to former students, and data collection was conducted on students, professors, and the characterization of dissertations. The results showed that 51.6% of the defenses were conducted in Line 1 – Technological Innovations in Surgery, and 48.4% in Line 2 – Teaching Technologies, Quality Management, and Safety in Surgery. Of these, 40% were data survey research, followed by experimental research at 35% and literature review at 15%. Action research accounted for 6%, case studies for 3%, and field research for 1%. All professors have updated Lattes résumés; however, only 45% of the students have updated theirs. Only eight former students responded to the questionnaire, all of whom stated that after completing the professional master's program, they were able to work in the field. The majority reported professional benefits from the program, academic and scientific contributions, and that their findings had a positive impact on local advancements in the field of surgery. Throughout the research, both positive aspects of the program and limiting perspectives were observed, which can be overcome with the continued efforts of the coordination team alongside the faculty and students. Therefore, despite the program's progress over the past decade, improvements in information transparency are needed, especially for incoming students. In this regard, a guidance manual for projects and dissertations could positively impact PPGRACI's performance in terms of academic and scientific production.