O PACIENTE TABAGISTA NO CONTEXTO AMBULATORIAL: UM ESTUDO DESCRITIVO

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the possible functional categories of smoking patients verbal reports about their difficulties in quitting smoking in an ambulatory context. It was also identified the functional categories of the doctor s role in supplying necessary information to the patient on damages made by the use of cigarettes. For such, it was adopted a descriptive methodology through direct observation of behaviors registered in video to identify possible behavior categories at the moment of the doctor appointment. Three doctors and nine patients from a private hospital ambulatory had participated in this study, being three patients of each participant doctor. The appointments were registered in video and were properly authorized to be used by the patients and doctors. The sessions were transcribed after recorded. After a careful study on these transcriptions, it was initiated the identification of verbal and non verbal categories of smoking patients on smoking behavior, as well as verbal categories of doctor s performance in relation to such patients. Seven categories of patient s verbal actions and eighteen of non-verbal actions were selected. It was also selected five categories referring to doctor s verbal actions. Later on some categories were divided in subcategories. The results had indicated a high frequency in the speech of smoking patients indicating symptoms and illnesses, amongst others. Also, the results had demonstrated that smoking patients reported to doctors their negative emotional situation as a reason to continue making use of tobacco. The data still show that doctors practically do not inform patients about anti-smoking treatments, and they do not encourage them to abandon the addiction. These data was discussed on the extreme importance of doctors role on informing, advising, or encouraging their patients about anti-smoking treatments, since these actions can contribute to improve health and quality of life for many people. Although it is likely that the majority of patients wants to quit smoking, but is not able to, as it was demonstrated in this study.