Letramento em saúde de profissionais e cuidadores de crianças vinculadas a um programa de atenção domiciliar

Abstract

Home Care (HC) has been consolidated as an alternative to the hospital-centered model, enabling health care to take place within the family environment. This approach not only ensures continuity of treatment but also provides emotional and social benefits for patients and their caregivers. In Brazil, HC is implemented, among other strategies, through the Programa Melhor em Casa, whose effectiveness relies on the collaboration between health professionals and informal caregivers. In this context, Health Literacy (HL) plays a central role, as it directly influences the understanding of medical guidelines and the ability to actively engage in the care process. This study aimed to analyze the HL conditions of health professionals and informal caregivers linked to the Home Care Service (SAD) in Palmas, Tocantins, a municipality located in the Brazilian Legal Amazon. This quantitative research applied three validated instruments: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Brazilian version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ-Br), and the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (B- TOFHLA). The sample comprised 66 participants, including 36 professionals and 30 caregivers. Findings indicated that educational level is a determining factor for performance in health literacy skills, shaping the way participants interpret, evaluate, and apply health-related information. Although professionals demonstrated greater technical knowledge, communication with informal caregivers remained a challenge, potentially affecting the quality of care. The results highlight the importance of ongoing educational strategies for both groups and of interprofessional integration as a means to ensure safer, more effective, and patient-centered home care.