Enfrentamento da desinformação em saúde: estratégias educativas e tecnológicas dos profissionais na atenção primária

Abstract

Disinformation is not a recent phenomenon, its dissemination has been significantly amplified with the advent of digital platforms. The growing circulation of incorrect and inaccurate information in the health field, intensified by the expansion of ICTs and potentiated by the infodemic phenomenon, constitutes a critical challenge for primary health care. In this scenario, professionals assume a central role as mediators of knowledge, working directly with the population, which faces increasing difficulties in accessing, understanding, and evaluating reliable information. Therefore, it becomes fundamental to investigate the educational and technological strategies employed by these professionals, considering that effective practices can strengthen health literacy, increase user autonomy, and contribute to combating misinformation. This is an exploratory and descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, conducted through individual interviews based on a semi-structured script. The study was conducted in municipalities belonging to the GERSA region of Xanxerê, located in the western region of Santa Catarina. Twenty-one primary health care professionals participated in the research, including nurses, doctors, nursing technicians, and community health agents. The data were organized into five analytical categories, resulting in eighteen Central Ideas and thirty- five Collective Subject Discourses. The results show that educational care in primary health care constitutes a complex practice, sustained by the bond between professional and user and centered on verbal communication. Digital tools represent a paradox; while they facilitate communication, they also act as channels for disseminating disinformation.