Beyond Breeding Sites: Continuing Education and the Endemic Disease Agents

Abstract

Objective: To describe the process of planning and implementing a Continuing Health Education Plan for a team of Endemic Disease Control Agents. Data synthesis: Methodologically, this is a descriptive-analytical report conducted within a Multiprofessional Health Residency Program, carried out in 2023, in an environmental surveillance unit located in a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. For this report, two analytical concepts—“restricted view” and “expanded view”—were developed to critically describe the different approaches to health surveillance observed in the residency context. Weekly meetings were held, including theoretical and practical activities, diagnostic actions, and moments of collective reflection. The Plan aimed to develop an expanded understanding of health surveillance among the Agents. Conclusion: This study made it possible to describe the process of planning and implementing a Continuing Health Education Plan with a team of Endemic Disease Control Agents, highlighting the importance of organizing collective training spaces articulated with everyday work practices. The construction of the Plan, grounded in the reality of the services and in the demands identified by the Agents themselves, enabled the problematization of work processes, the improvement of practices, and the expansion of understanding regarding territory and health care. Throughout its implementation, contributions were observed both in strengthening the teaching-service integration and in promoting changes in management and the model of care, albeit in a gradual and context-specific manner. In this sense, Continuing Health Education proved to be a powerful strategy for improving the qualification of Endemic Disease Control Agents, by fostering the incorporation of more integrated practices aligned with the needs of the territory.