THE UNDERSTANDING OF NURSES ABOUT THE NATIONAL POLICY OF PERMANENT HEALTH EDUCATION

Abstract

The National Policy of Permanent Health Education (PNEPS) aims to transform the practices and work organization in the Brazilian unified health system (SUS) promoting more reflective training processes, seeking, among other things, to improve the quality of health care. This is a proposal which intends paradigmatic changes to question hegemonic mold to do health and education, and, therefore, find difficulties to your understanding that challenge their achievement. Through the review of researchs which focussed the Permanent Education in Health (EPS) in Brazil over the past eleven years, we sought to investigate how nurses, relevant professional category and significant for qualification of health care, understand the proposals of the PNEPS, and wherein this understanding approaches or moves away of what the policy aims. Six articles and a dissertation were analyzed, indicating that most nurses believe that PNEPS is related to educational activities such as capacitations, training and predominantly technical character updates, this concept closer to Continuing Education. It is necessary to expand the discussion about EPS among nursing professionals so that they can take ownership of their conceptualizations and thus make it effective in its daily work in health.