This study examines the core and outlying representational elements of healthcare constructed by Family Healthcare Program teams in Natal, Brazil, using the theory of social representations and the central core theory. The sample consisted of ninety healthcare practitioners working with this Program, with data collected through free word association, a questionnaire and focus groups. The core representation consists of attention/love and comfort, disclosing different understandings and showing that accumulated knowledge is supported by a view that is close to care-giving. However, traditional values and trivial connotations are maintained, hindering the implementation of more effective interventions in by this Program. The core composition indicated that any capacity-building efforts that try to modify attitudes - and thus the daily practice of these practitioners - must assign high priority to discussions on redefining these elements of attention/love and comfort. They must consider the set of mental, emotional, and practical elaborations as well as explanations arising from daily life that are introduced into the constitution of the social representations under examination, influencing choices and shaping the strategies used by practitioners to provide care.
Healthcare; Social representations; Family Health Program
