Análise de atitudes e conhecimentos acerca da pessoa idosa no contexto da atenção primária à saúde

Abstract

Introduction: The older persons are the largest users of health services and Primary Health Care (PHC) is the preferred gateway for this population. Thus, health professionals provide care to the elderly population and managers are important for the fulfillment of health policies. Therefore, the attitudes and knowledge of professionals and managers about the elderly can affect the care provided and the health of this population. Objective: To analyze attitudes and knowledge about the elderly among health professionals and managers in the context of PHC. Material and methods: Two studies were conducted: 1) methodological that updated and carried out the content validity and pre-test of the Palmore-Neri-Cachioni Questionnaire of Basic Knowledge about Old Age; 2) quantitative of cross-sectional design on attitudes and gerontological knowledge of health professionals and managers of PHC. Two rounds of content validity were carried out. The item-level Content Validity Index (I-IVC) translated by modified Kappa and the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were used, with scores ≥0.78, 0.74, and 1.00 being satisfactory, respectively. The instrument as a whole was assessed by the Content Validity Index at the scale level according to the mean (S-IVC/Ave), assuming a cutoff point of 0.90. A meeting with the author of the Brazilian version was held to clarify non-consensus items. The pre-test was conducted with 34 individuals from the target population and the practicality of the questionnaire was evaluated by the concordance rate assuming the cut-off point of 80.00%. The cross-sectional study was conducted with 115 PHC professionals and managers, applying the updated and revised Palmore-Neri-Cachioni Questionnaire (2022) and the Neri Scale of Attitudes towards Old Age. The internal consistency of the instruments was evaluated by Cronbach's Alpha. Results: