Nursing is a specific field of knowledge and social practice that has been consolidated and strengthened as science. In Brazil, it has been developed due to the increase and qualification of strict sense post-graduate programs. This study aims to present a historical review of the strict sense post-graduate nursing courses in Brazil and to reflect on their evolution, progress, challenges and future perspectives. It explores the creation of strict sense post-graduate courses, highlighting the movement to build a culture of academic and professional post-graduation in nursing. The historical path of their consolidation, expansion, conquest of excellence and international visibility over four decades, and the challenges and future perspectives are showed. It is found that the post-graduate programs in the field has contributed to the advancement and consolidation of scientific, technological knowledge and innovation in nursing and health care, having as philosophy the respect for diversity and the free exchange of ideas, the improvement of quality of life and health, and the effectiveness of citizenship.

The aim of this study was to analyse the adjustments in technique made by a basketball player when shooting against an opponent. The subjects used consisted of 10 professional basketball players of the Spanish First Division League. Threedimensional motion analysis based on video recordings (50 Hz) was used to obtain the kinematic characteristics of basketball jump shots with and without an opponent. It was found that when performing against an opponent the release angle of the ball increased, the¯ight time was reduced and postural adjustments as determined by the angles at the knee and shoulder increased, all signi® cantly. There were several other non-signi® cant diVerences that helped to interpret the changes in technique imposed by the presence of an opponent. It was suggested that when shooting with an opponent, players attempted to release the ball more quickly and from a greater height. This strategy will lessen the chance of the opponent intercepting the ball. It was concluded that the diVerences noted in the technical execution of the skill had implications for practice. It was suggested that training would bene® t from practice with an opponent for at least some of the time to condition players to the demands which they were more likely to meet in the game situation.

Pressure ulcers are an important perioperatory care quality indicator This is a longitudinal case series study, performed with the following objectives: to estimate the incidence of pressure ulcers in patients submitted to medium and large surgeries; rate them according to the stage and location; verify the association with the variables: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), co-morbidities, surgical position, duration of surgery, anesthesia type and use of positioning devices, with presence or absence of pressure ulcers. Data collection took place in 2007 in São Paulo, with 199 patients, 20.6% of which presented pressure ulcers, and most (98.6%) in stages I and II, and the main location was the trunk (35.1%). The variables: position, surgery time, general anesthesia, and device use had a statistically significant association. In conclusion, there is a high incidence of pressure ulcers among surgical patients, requiring actions aimed at reducing this type of injury.

The aim of this study is to explore arguments that broaden the understanding of possible links between the organization of nursing care and the structuring of professional identity. For that purpose, some aspects related to these themes are addressed, highlighting issues regarding differences in the concepts of the organization of nursing care and the nursing process, as well as the performance of this activity and its possible impact on the establishment of its relationship with the professional identity. Emphasis is given to the need to stimulate the debate on the subject by nursing professionals involved in the training of human resources and the provision of care, as well as in class entities, in order to deepen understanding of these concepts as significant elements for strengthening our professional identity.

Este estudo teve como objetivos identificar as ações de enfermagem prescritas pelas enfermeiras do Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia (IDPC) para pacientes com o diagnóstico de enfermagem Desobstrução Ineficaz de Vias Aéreas e compará-las com as contidas na Classificação das Intervenções de Enfermagem (NIC), visando ao aprimoramento da prescrição de enfermagem para este diagnóstico. Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo, cuja fonte de dados foram 435 prontuários de pacientes internados no período de julho a dezembro de 2000, analisados após aprovação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa do IDPC. As ações de enfermagem prescritas pelas enfermeiras foram: fazer inalação, estimular deambulação, sentar paciente em poltrona, estimular a tosse, estimular a ingestão hídrica, aspirar a cânula endotraqueal, observar padrão respiratório, a saturação de oxigênio, a presença de cianose de extremidades e fazer ausculta pulmonar. Foram identificadas algumas convergências com a NIC, tais como: facilitar a remoção de secreção por meio de hidratação, mobilização do paciente, estímulo da tosse, aspiração de secreção e controle/monitorização da condição respiratória. Considera-se que as ações prescritas pelas enfermeiras são pertinentes, porém faltam-lhes detalhamento para melhor direcionar sua execução.

This article discusses a descriptive-analytic study on research methodology education practices directed at nurse clinicians who work at a university hospital and aimed at acquiring scientific research competencies on the basis of discovery learning, tutorials and humanistic teaching strategies. Study participants were eighty-six nurses, 70 of whom concluded their projects. 28 of these resulted in scientific studies, most of which were experience reports, descriptive and exploratory investigations. According to the nurses, the program allowed them to acquire and apply their research know-how. They pointed out the lack of mastering scientific methodology and the limitations of administrative and work conditions at the institution as the main difficulties. Among the facilitators, they highlighted the importance of research to modify clinical practice, the publication of results and the collaboration for the maintenance of a research center. The study showed the need for a flexible planning of educational activities, permanent guidance and respect for the particularities of each nurse.

Objective: To analyze actions performed by primary care nurses for opportunistic breast cancer screening based on the parameter proposed by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 70 nurses. We used a validated questionnaire elaborated according to actions determined by the Brazilian program for control of breast cancer. Results: 97.1% of nurses referred patients for clinical breast exam, 88.6% indicated mammography annually and 75.7% guided patients to perform the first mammography exam starting at age 40 years, and 52.9% promoted educational meetings. However, guidance on age range and time interval for mammography and clinical breast exam, as well as an active search for women who did not show up, was not in agreement with parameters established by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Conclusion: Nurses have conducted actions for the control of breast cancer, but some nonconformities exist between executed actions and actions proposed by the Brazilian Ministry of Health for cancer screening. ResumoObjetivo: Analisar as ações realizadas por enfermeiros da Atenção Primária em Saúde para rastreamento oportunístico do câncer de mama, tendo como parâmetro a proposta do Ministério da Saúde. Métodos: Estudo descritivo, transversal, realizado com 70 enfermeiros, com auxílio de questionário validado, elaborado segundo as ações determinadas pelo programa de controle de câncer de mama do Brasil. Resultados: 97,1% dos enfermeiros realizavam exame clínico das mamas, 88,6% indicaram a mamografia anualmente e 75,7% orientaram o primeiro exame a partir dos 40 anos e 52,9% promoviam reuniões educativas. Entretanto, a orientação sobre faixa etária e intervalo de tempo para mamografia e exame clínico das mamas, bem como busca ativa de mulheres faltosas não apresentavam conformidade com o preconizado. Conclusão: Os enfermeiros têm realizado ações para o controle do câncer de mama, mas existem algumas não conformidades entre as ações executadas e as propostas do Ministério da Saúde para o rastreamento desta neoplasia.

The opinion of the physicians and nurses who participated in this study converged with the principal national and international guidelines on palliative sedation. However, even though it is a therapy that has been adopted in palliative care, it remains a controversial practice.