Qualidade de vida e saúde como valor existencial

Abstract

Quality of life and health as existential values Quality of life is an eminently human, subjective and polysemic notion relating to the well-being that individuals and the community find in their family, love, social and environmental lives. From a sociological point of view, quality of life can be defined as the standard that a society establishes and strives to achieve through public and social policies that induce and guide human development, individual and collective liberties and the positive changes in the manner and style of life and in social conditions. Despite its polysemy, the notion of quality of life is neither ethereal nor static. Over the past 40 years indicators and parameters have been developed to render it operational. The most universal of these instruments is the so-called HDI (Human Development Index) developed by Amartya Sen. He criticizes measuring development purely by GDP and measures qualitative values †such as income bracket, health, education and longevity, seeking comparability between societies in which the index is adopted. Since the late 1980s, instruments have been developed in Brazil that measure quality of life based on an understanding of the inequalities, heterogeneities and social stratifications of the country and comparing city and state micro-realities. This is the case of the ICV (Living Conditions Index) developed in 1988 by the João Pinheiro Foundation (FJP) in conjunction with the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This index works with 20 indicators. Nowadays the expression quality of life is also being widely used by journalists, politicians, professionals in various areas and managers dealing with public policies. It is also commonly used in different fields of knowledge: in economics, in sociology, in the area of education, of medicine, of nursing, of psychology and of health. The topic has also become part of the market for goods and services, since the founding of the Brazilian Association of Quality of Life (ABQV) (http://www.abqv.com.br) in 1995, and the creation of the Brazilian Quality of Life Institute (IBQV) (http://www.ibqv.com.br). These are nonprofit institutions which, according to their statutes, strive for the defense, the preservation and the conservation of the environment, of ethics, of peace, of citizenship, of human rights and of universal values. One of the fields in which the notion of quality of life has developed most is that of medicine. In 1993, the WHO published the protocol of "The world health organization quality of life assessment" (WHO-QOL) that evaluates six domains of well-being: the physical, the psychological, that of level of independence, of social relationships, of the environment and of religious aspects, by means of indicators. Since then, researchers in the area began to conduct studies with various types of patients, based on the WHOQOL. However, there are many criticisms about the use of this concept in t...

Representações sociais de saúde-doença de conselheiros municipais de saúde

“…Uma forma de perceber a qualidade de vida, mais restrita, que foi encontrada no núcleo central das representações sociais dos conselheiros, centra-se na compreensão de o ser humano viver sem doenças ou com capacidade para superar as dificuldades dos estados ou condições de morbidade (MINAYO, 2013). Outra forma de compreensão da qualidade de vida se expressa em perspectiva ampla, em sua relação com a compreensão das necessidades humanas fundamentais, materiais e espirituais e com a incorporação da perspectiva da promoção da saúde (MINAYO, 2013).…”

Conjuncture of colostomized clients of na integrated health center, reference in the state of piauí

“…Sociology defines it as the pattern that society has or mobilizes to conquer individual and collective freedoms and positive changes in the way of life through public and social policies that induce and guide human development. 10 Stoma care requires a reflection on the rehabilitation aspects, which means a great challenge for the health care workers, especially nurses. Hence, knowledge of these patients' needs through their extensive and constant questioning is indispensable.…”

“…Hence, knowledge of these patients' needs through their extensive and constant questioning is indispensable. 10 Nurses have a key role in understanding the patients' emotions and they seek to determine the conduct to be applied to each case based on conversations. 7 This study is justified by the necessity of identifying these clients' profiles since their quality of life is closely related to the strategies adopted to live with these biological, physical, and psychological changes.…”

Qualidade de vida em adolescentes com necessidades especiais em um município de pernambuco

“…Ela tem sido alvo de muitas definições ao longo dos anos por jornalistas, políticos profissionais de diversas áreas e gestores ligados às políticas públicas, assim como em diferentes campos do saber: economia, sociologia, educação, medicina, enfermagem, psicologia e saúde. O tema igualmente passou a fazer parte do mercado de bens e serviços, a partir da fundação, em 1995, da Associação Brasileira de Qualidade de Vida e da criação do Instituto Brasileiro de Qualidade de Vida (IBQV), instituições sem fins lucrativos que, segundo anunciam, visam à defesa, preservação e conservação do meio ambiente, da ética, da paz, da cidadania, dos direitos humanos e dos valores universais (6) . A OMS, por sua vez, define qualidade de vida como a percepção de um indivíduo em relação à sua posição na vida, no contexto de sua cultura e valores, em relação aos seus objetivos, expectativas e padrões, ainda podendo ser influenciada pela saúde física, pelo estado psicológico, pelo nível de independência, pelas relações sociais, pelos fatores ambientais e pelas crenças pessoais do indivíduo (7) .…”