Processo educativo e dialógico na terapia intensiva: práticas humanizadas pela pesquisa convergente assistencial

Abstract

Humanization is an essential element of comprehensive care, especially in critical settings such as the Intensive Care Unit, where it is crucial to reconcile high technological complexity with the patient's physical and emotional aspects. This study aimed to develop an educational process with the health team on the humanization of care in an Intensive Care Unit located in the northern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.This is an Assistential Convergent Research, as proposed by Trentini and Paim, grounded in the conceptual framework of Paulo Freire and based on epistemological principles that utilize the concepts of education as a practice of freedom, praxis, dialogue, autonomy, problematization, and critical consciousness. Thirty healthcare professionals from the Intensive Care Unit team were interviewed with the purpose of exploring their experiences and perceptions. Subsequently, educational practices, convergence groups, and participant observation were carried out. The analysis resulted in six Collective Subject Discourses, based on central ideas, which supported the proposition of humanization strategies to be implemented in the unit, prioritizing the most viable actions. The results indicate that the in-service educational process promoted critical reflections by the team on daily practices, expanding collective understanding and allowing for the implementation of care humanization strategies. In this context, the research contributed to strengthening humanized practices, supporting permanent health education, and stimulating ethical, formative, and reflective transformations. Furthermore, the application of Paulo Freire’s conceptual framework proved fundamental in promoting critical consciousness and autonomy among professionals, reaffirming education as a practice of freedom and a transformative instrument in the workplace.