OBJECTIVE: to verify whether there are associations among occupational roles, independence to perform Activities of Daily Living, purchasing power, and assistive technology for individuals with physical disabilities. METHOD: 91 individuals with physical disabilities participated in the study. The instruments used were: Role Checklist, Brazilian Economic Classification Criterion, Barthel Index, and a Questionnaire to characterize the subjects. RESULTS: an association with a greater number of roles was found among more independent individuals using a lower number of technological devices. Higher purchasing power was associated with a lower functional status of dependence. CONCLUSION: even though technology was not directly associated with independence, the latter was associated with a greater number of occupational roles, which requires reflection upon independence issues when considering the participation in occupational roles. These findings support interdisciplinary actions designed to promote occupational roles in individuals with physical disabilities.

OBJECTIVES: identify the interventions/activities nurses develop at a Chemotherapy Center (CTC) using standardized language and validate their contents. METHOD: data triangulation was used through the combination of three information sources: semistructured interview, document analysis and questionnaire. The instrument, constructed in accordance with the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) taxonomy, was submitted to content validation through meetings with the participants. RESULTS: Thirty-five interventions and 48 activities were mapped and validated, organized in five domains (physiological: basic and physiological: complex, behavioral, safety and health system) and 11 classes. CONCLUSION: The identification of nurses' interventions/activities at CTC supports the determination of the time consumed and permits measuring the workload. It also helps to define these professionals' role, which permits the redesign of the work process and optimizes productivity.

OBJECTIVE: to verify the degree of agreement between the levels of priority given by baccalaureate nurses in care based on risk assessment and classification and the institutional protocol, and also among peers. METHOD: descriptive study, using a questionnaire with thirty fictitious clinical cases based on the institutional protocol, which is considered the gold standard, answered by twenty baccalaureate nurses. RESULTS: the agreement analysis through the Kappa Coefficient concluded that the agreement between baccalaureate nurses and the institutional protocol in relation to prioritizing the levels of severity was moderate. When the agreement among peers was evaluated, it was low, as represented by the colorimetric density in shades of light gray. CONCLUSION: in Brazil, some institutions have developed their own protocol, which makes it necessary to develop tools in order to evaluate the accuracy of professionals in relation to the protocols, highlighting the need for capable people to perform this activity, thus contributing to patient safety.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between job stress and self-rated health among nurses in public hospital emergency units. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study undertaken through the administration of a self-administered questionnaire in a sample of 134 health professionals, using the brief version of the Job Stress Scale. Descriptive analyses of the socio-demographic, health and work variables were undertaken, as was multivariate analysis through unconditional logistic regression for adjustment of the association between job stress and poor self-rated health, in accordance with potential confounding variables, with a level of significance of 5%. RESULTS: 70% of the interviewees were classified as passive workers or as with high strain. Poor self-rated health was significantly greater among health professionals with high demand and low control, compared to those with low strain, after adjusting for co-variables. CONCLUSIONS: Low control, allied with low demand, can serve as a demotivating factor, contributing to the increase in professional dissatisfaction. It is recommended that institutions should adopt a policy of planning and managing human resources so as to encourage the participation of health professionals in decision-making, with a view to reducing job stress among nurses.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the care undertaken in the health services for people with intestinal stoma, from the perspective of articulating the actions proposed in the Amplified and Shared Clinic, with a view to promoting autonomy. METHOD: qualitative study. Participants: 10 people who received a stoma, and their family members. Data was collected between 10th January and 30th June 2011, through two semi-structured interviews. Analysis was through the stages: anxiety, synthesis, theorization and recontextualization. RESULTS: presented in the categories: (1) the need to carry out stoma care; (2) receiving health support and care after discharge from hospital; (3) returning to daily activities and social reinsertion. CONCLUSION: the study identified common factors which influence the process of development of autonomy and the relationship which health professionals have with this achievement.

OBJECTIVE: To understand and analyze, from the perspective of adolescent victims of domestic violence who were cared for in an institution in Campinas-SP, the protective factors to which they are submitted and / or have access. METHOD: This was qualitative research, with data collection occurring through focus groups with 17 adolescents, and semistructured interviews with seven of them; the data analysis was based on content analysis, using a thematic modality. RESULTS: Two themes emerged, entitled Four Walls and Trust. We discuss the context of institutional care, that despite the efforts made contemporaneously, still maintains an authoritarian environment; the importance of the bond and trust established with some employees, acting as protective factors for the adolescents and the protective aspect of religiosity. CONCLUSIONS: It is understood that these considerations should be valued and reinforced through the healthcare services provided to children and adolescents, as they contribute to the promotion of the physical and mental health of this population.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the reliability and validity of the Brazilian version of the Attentional Function Index. METHOD: Methodological study. The sample was made up of 138 students from an undergraduate nursing course. The psychometric properties were assessed through the convergent construct validity, using the Brazilian version of the Attentional Function Index and the Portuguese-language version of the Profile of Mood States instrument, while the reliability was measured by its internal consistency, expressed by the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. RESULTS: The Cronbach Alpha Coefficient was 0.86 for the total score, and varied from 0.64 to 0.86 in the three subscales. A strong significant negative correlation (r=-0.64; p<0.0001) was obtained for the convergent validity. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian version of the Attentional Function Index resulted in satisfactory levels of validity and reliability, demonstrating its viability for use in practice and in undertaking further research.

OBJECTIVE: to identify social and environmental factors associated with hospitalization of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Manaus, Amazonas, during 2010. METHODS: this is a quantitative cross-sectional epidemiological study, with primary data collection and analysis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), based on seropositive status. RESULTS: Among social factors for TB-HIV co-infection, the association between alcohol use and dependence was significant for employed workers; among non-co-infections, the association between income less than one minimum wage (U.S. $200) and retired people, Bolsa Família Program [Family Allowance]/other social benefits was significant. Regarding environmental factors, the association was significant for TB-HIV co-infection among those not having their own house, having masonry housing and daily garbage collection; and among non-co-infection, owning their own house, no masonry housing and lack of daily garbage collection was significant. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that not only social factors, but also environmental ones are associated with hospitalization of tuberculosis patients, and such associations differ according to TB-HIV co-infection. Findings revealed that the non-biological factors associated with hospitalization of tuberculosis patients should be considered when caring patients with this disease.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the presence and extent of Primary Health Care attributes and the strength of affiliation of children under one year old in a Family Health Unit. METHOD: cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted between October 25, 2010 and May 14, 2011 with 44 mothers, using the Primary Care Assessment Tool to collect data. Data were analyzed by calculating the Essential Primary Health Care and General Primary Health Care scores. RESULTS: mothers recognized and experienced aspects of accessibility, comprehensive care and coordination of care, as well as community guidance, marked by a concern and involvement on the part of the health team in the children's care, their families and community. CONCLUSION: The Primary Health Care team makes efforts to approach the community and meet their health needs, seeking instruments that aid the promotion of qualified care to children.

OBJECTIVES: this study featured patients with affective bipolar disorder who were making use of lithium and received care at an outpatient care center located in a country town in the state of Sao Paulo in 2009; it assessed the adherence and knowledge of these patients in relation to the medication prescribed to them and verified the proportion of blood tests performed per year in the service, for each individual, to measure lithium levels in the blood. METHOD: descriptive study with quantitative approach, involving 36 participants. Structured interviews and review of medical records were used for data collection and descriptive statistics for data analysis. RESULTS: difficulties in reporting the dosage of the medication prescribed and a high rate of non-adherence were identified among the participants. None of the participants in the study was submitted to two tests a year to measure lithium levels in the blood, which is the minimum proportion of tests recommended by the literature for maintenance treatment using lithium carbonate. CONCLUSION: this study highlights the critical factors for the promotion of patients' safety in monitoring lithium drug therapy.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the use of religious/spiritual coping among people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study of 101 patients undergoing intravenous chemotherapy in an oncology outpatients center in a public hospital in Minas Gerais, made in the first semester of 2011. For data collection, an interview was held, using a questionnaire for characterizing the sample and the Brief Spiritual/Religious Coping Scale. RESULTS: all subjects made use of religious/spiritual coping (mean=3.67; sd=0.37); the younger individuals, those with no religion and those who consider spiritual support unimportant tend to use coping negatively; individuals who would like to receive spiritual support and who participate in support groups for cancer patients, on the other hand, use coping positively. CONCLUSIONS: the study reinforces that religious/spiritual coping is an important strategy for coping with cancer, and contributes to an understanding of the same as a useful tool for spiritual care.