Doutores da alegria e profissionais de saúde: o palhaço de hospital na percepção de quem cuida

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the perception of health professionals on the performance of Doutores daAlegria, a group formed by artists who dress as clowns and visit children in public hospitals, and theirinfluence in their daily work. The study subjects were thirteen professionals of different categories thatwork in the ward and the ICU of the pediatric unit of a university hospital. The research wasqualitative in nature and, concerning the data collected through interviews, the technique of contentanalysis was used. The results showed that health professionals perceive the clown doctors positivelyand see them as a group that develops activities that generate many benefits, among which is thetransformation of the atmosphere in the hospital environment, considered by respondents as tense,heavy and stressful, and with tiring, dull work routine, into a lighter, cheerful and relaxedenvironment. However, many UCI professionals said they had reservations concerning the work of theclowns, due to the fact that there are times when the tension in that place is very big and the presenceof Doutores da Alegria interfere with routine work, and that in moments of greatest suffering, theparents of the children admitted would not be open to the jokes of the clowns. It was found that in thestaff's point of view, their colleagues also see the activities carried out by Doutores da Alegria aspositive, and that very few do not see it the same way, due to a personality trait. It was not possible todemonstrate change in the behavior of the professional team after the start of the activities of Doutoresda Alegria occurred in 2007. Harmful interference in the routine work of the staff was not reportedeither, except rarely, in cases of little significance. The staff members considered the activities ofDoutores da Alegria as complementary to theirs and they would like to be visited by these clowns ifthey were patients, family members or companions, except if they were going through a period ofintrospection because of the disease and did not want any type of visit. The staff members would alsoimplement the group's activities if they occupied a manager position at the institution, due to theaforementioned benefits and because they think that the clowns help with a quicker recovery, reducingthe child's hospitalization period. The desire that the group Doutores da Alegria expand itsperformance to other wards of the hospital and the night shift was explicit. Finally, it was noticed thatrespondents clearly perceive the difference between Doutores da Alegria and the other groups ofclowns that also carry out visits to the hospital voluntarily, the main reason being attributed to theprofessionalism of the former, who receive education and training.