USER EMBRACEMENT IN HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT: perspectives from the hospitalized patients.

Abstract

The user embracement is one of the main directions guiding the health care production, even though the studies concerning this subject are focused upon primary health care. This paper aimed to understand the way user embracement is experienced by hospitalized patients’ companions and discuss their difficulties while accompanying the patients in a hospital environment. This is a qualitative study, conducted with 77 companions of patients hospitalized in a university hospital in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The data were collected through interviews and analyzed by content analysis. On the companions’ perception, the user embracement is associated with clarifying rules and routines, as well as the meals delivery; being the main hurdle related to physical structure and noise in the hospital environment. A need for reconsidering the established models for health assistance is pointed, as well as the importance of making better the health care practices based on light technology.