THE CREATI ON OF PERFORMANCE EVALUATI ON I NDI CATORS THROUGH A FOCUS GROUP
Ver a Lúcia Mir a Gonçalv es1 Ant ônio Fer nandes Cost a Lim a2 Nanci Cr isit ano3 Mar t ha Rum ik o Kaio Hashim ot o4
Gonçalv es VLM, Lim a AFC, Cr isit ano N, Hashim ot o MRK. The cr eat ion of per for m ance ev aluat ion indicat or s t hrough a focus group. Rev Lat ino- am Enferm agem 2007 j aneiro- fevereiro; 15( 1) : 134- 41.
This st udy was developed in an act ion research perspect ive and aim ed t o creat e professional perform ance evaluat ion indicat ors for nursing t echnicians and auxiliaries w orking at t he Universit y Hospit al of t he Universit y of Sao Paulo. Dat a were collect ed t hrough t he focus group t echnique, involving 19 secondary- level professionals, r epr esent ing differ ent Nur sing Depar t m ent unit s. Dur ing sev en m eet ings, par t icipant s elabor at ed definit ions of sev en in d icat or s t h ey an d t h eir p eer s con sid er ed r elev an t t o p ict u r e t h e ad eq u at e p er f or m an ce of t h ese pr ofessional cat egor ies. I n t heir r epor t s, t hey m anifest ed t hat t he adopt ed st r at egy allow ed t hem t o ex pr ess t hem selv es about t he m eanings and feelings at t r ibut ed t o t he per for m ance ev aluat ion pr ocess. I n assessing t he act ivit y, t he focus group m em bers verbalized t hat , besides feeling m ore prepared t o face problem s relat ed t o perform ance evaluat ion, t hey also felt valued by t heir part icipat ion in t he com posit ion of t he new inst rum ent .
DESCRI PTORS: em ploy ee per for m ance appr aisal; focus gr oups; healt h m anpow er ; nur sing
LA CONSTRUCCI ÓN DE PRONOSTI CADORES DE EVALUACI ÓN
DE DESEMPEÑO POR MEDI O DEL GRUPO FOCAL
Est e e st u d i o , d e sa r r o l l a d o a p a r t i r d e l a p e r sp e ct i v a d e i n v e st i g a ci ó n - a cci ó n , b u scó co n st r u i r pronost icadores de evaluación de desem peño profesional para t écnicos y auxiliares de enferm ería que t rabaj an en el Hospit al Universit ario de la USP. La recolección de dat os fue realizada por m edio de la t écnica de grupo focal, con la part icipación de 19 profesionales de nivel m edio, represent ant es de las unidades del Depart am ent o d e En f e r m e r ía . A l o l a r g o d e si e t e e n cu e n t r o s, l o s p a r t i ci p a n t e s e l a b o r a r o n l a s d e f i n i ci o n e s d e si e t e pr onost icador es, consider ados por ellos y sus colegas com o r elevant es y que r et r at an el adecuado desem peño de est as cat egor ías pr ofesionales. Sus r elat os ev idenciar on que la est r at egia adopt ada posibilit ó la ex pr esión y la reflexión respect o a los significados y sent im ient os at ribuidos al proceso de evaluación de desem peño. En la ev aluación del t r abaj o r ealizado, los int egr ant es del gr upo focal ex pr esar on que, adem ás de sent ir se m as pr epar ados par a enfr ent ar los pr oblem as sobr e la ev aluación de desem peño, se sint ier on v alor izados por la par t icipación en la com posición del nuev o inst r um ent o.
DESCRI PTORES: evaluación del rendim ient o de em pleados; grupos focales; recursos hum anos en salud; enferm ería
A CONSTRUÇÃO DE PROGNOSTI CADORES DE AVALI AÇÃO
DE DESEMPENHO POR MEI O DO GRUPO FOCAL
Est e est udo, desenv olv ido na per spect iv a da pesquisa- ação, buscou const r uir os pr ognost icador es de a v a l i a çã o d e d esem p en h o p r o f i ssi o n a l p a r a t écn i co s e a u x i l i a r es d e en f er m a g em a t u a n t es n o Ho sp i t a l Universit ário da Universidade de São Paulo. A colet a de dados foi realizada por m eio da t écnica de grupo focal com a p ar t icip ação d e 1 9 p r of ission ais d e n ív el m éd io, r ep r esen t an t es d as u n id ad es d o Dep ar t am en t o d e Enfer m agem . Ao longo de set e encont r os, os par t icipant es elabor ar am as definições de set e pr ognost icador es considerados, por eles e seus pares, com o relevant es para ret rat ar o adequado desem penho dessas cat egorias profissionais. Nos seus relat os, evidenciaram que a est rat égia adot ada possibilit ou- lhes a expressão e a reflexão a respeit o dos significados e sent im ent os at ribuídos ao processo de avaliação de desem penho. Na avaliação do t r abalh o r ealizado, os in t egr an t es do gr u po f ocal v er balizar am qu e, além de sen t ir em - se m ais pr epar ados par a o en f r en t am en t o dos pr oblem as r ef er en t es à av aliação de desem pen h o, sen t ir am - se v alor izados pela par t icipação na com posição do nov o inst r um ent o.
DESCRI TORES: av aliação de desem penho; gr upos de est udo; r ecur sos hum anos em saúde; enfer m agem
1 RN, Doct or Professor, College of Nursing, e- m ail: vlm irag@usp.br; 2 RN, PhD, Technical Director at the University Hospital Support Service, e- m ail:
tonifer@usp.br; 3 RN, Master Student in Nursing, Pediatric Unit Head at the University Hospital, e- m ail: nancics@hu.usp.br; 4 RN, M.Sc., College of Nursing,
Child Em ergency Medical Service Head at t he University Hospital, e- m ail: de.psi@hu.usp.br. Universit y of São Paulo
I NTRODUCTI ON
N
owadays, qualit y has becom e t he survival w o r d , m a k i n g h e a l t h i n st i t u t i o n s r e t h i n k t h e i r st ruct ures, processes and work relat ions. The search for pr ofessionals pr epar ed for t eam w or k incr eases ev er y day, w it h in a par t icipat iv e, cooper at iv e an d sy ner gic per spect iv e and, m ainly, t rained t o det ect er r or s and pr opose solut ions t o t he pr oblem s t hey encount er( 1).The im port ance of t he relat ionship bet ween healt h service qualit y and t he personal perform ance is u n qu est ion able. Th u s, pr ofession al per for m an ce a sse ssm e n t sh o u l d b e a p e r m a n e n t co n ce r n i n h o sp i t a l o r g a n i za t i o n s, i n o r d er t o p r o m o t e t h e d ev el o p m en t o f h u m a n r eso u r ces t o r ea ch ca r e qualit y( 2).
The per for m ance ev aluat ion w as or iginally st r uct ur ed t o m easur e t he em ploy ee’s per for m ance a n d p o t e n t i a l . Th i s sy st e m a t i c a sse ssm e n t i s p e r f o r m e d b y su p e r v i so r s o r o t h e r h i e r a r ch i ca l superiors who are fam iliar with the work routines and dem ands. I t is t radit ionally defined as a process t hat aim s t o ob j ect iv ely m easu r e p er f or m an ce an d t o provide collaborators with inform ation about their own per for m ance, in or der t o allow t hem t o im pr ov e it w i t h o u t co m p r o m i si n g t h e i r i n d e p e n d e n ce a n d m ot ivat ion t o work( 3).
For t hese perform ance evaluat ion result s t o favor all t hose part icipat ing in t he process, whet her the collaborator being evaluated, evaluator or yet the or g an izat ion , t h is assessm en t m u st allow f or t h e id en t if icat ion of sp ecif ic ab ilit ies t h at n eed t o b e developed or acquired by t he evaluat ed. Addit ionally, it m ust im prove quality of life at work. Therefore, it is necessary to transform current evaluation system s into instrum ents that are useful to all of its users, such as prevention, identification and problem - solving tools( 4).
Wit h t his per spect iv e in m ind, t he Nur sing Dep ar t m en t ( ND) of t h e Un iv er sit y of São Pau lo Teaching Hospit al ( TH- USP) has been dev eloping a perform ance evaluat ion process since t he beginning of its activities, in 1981, which has been system atically analyzed t hrough research( 5- 8). The research result s
have showed t hat , despit e t he appoint ed difficult ies, n u r ses b eliev e in p er f or m an ce assessm en t as an i m p o r t a n t m a n a g e r i a l r e so u r ce f o r p e r so n n e l m an agem en t .
The m ain problem reported by the nurses was r e l a t e d t o t h e e v a l u a t i o n i n st r u m e n t , a cl o se d
instrum ent that did not attend to the institution’s needs a n d , e sp e ci a l l y, d i d n o t co r r e sp o n d t o p e o p l e ’s e x p e ct a t i o n s, n e i t h e r r e g a r d i n g p r o f e ssi o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t s n o r i n t e r m s o f t h e p o ssi b i l i t y o f ex pr ession .
I n order t o deepen invest igat ions and work w it h m or e planned int er v ent ions t o r est r uct ur e t he perform ance evaluat ion process, anot her st udy w as d e v e l o p e d( 8 ) t h r o u g h a ct i o n - r e se a r ch , i n v o l v i n g
division Direct ors and Sect ion Heads at t he ND. The above m ent ioned st udy result ed, am ong o t h e r t h i n g s, i n t h e cr e a t i o n o f n e w n u r si n g perform ance assessm ent prognost icat ors and showed t he need t o cont inue t he discussion process and t he r e co n st r u ct i o n o f p r o g n o st i ca t o r s f o r n u r si n g technicians and auxiliaries. This study aim s to describe how t his reconst ruct ion process happened.
OBJECTI VES
To cr e a t e p r o f e ssi o n a l p e r f o r m a n ce evaluation prognosticators for nursing technicians and aux iliar ies.
METHODOLOGY
Th i s st u d y w a s d ev el o p ed a s a n a ct i o n -r esea-r ch. This m et hod w as chosen because it is a so ci a l r e se a r ch st r a t e g y w h i ch p r e su m e s t h e par t icipat ion of t he people involved in t he r esear ch pr oblem , in w h ich t h er e ex ist s br oad an d ex plicit interaction between the researcher and those involved in t he research sit uat ion( 9).
Th e r e se a r ch w a s ca r r i e d o u t a f t e r aut horizat ion by t he HU- USP Teaching and Research Com m it t ee an d t h e Resear ch Et h ics Com m it t ee, a com plem ent ary ent it y of t he Universit y of São Paulo t h at d ev elop s t each in g , r esear ch an d com m u n it y services and offers int egral m ult idisciplinary care of m ediu m com plex it y, based on t h e epidem iological pr of ile of t h e Bu t an t ã Healt h Sch ool Dist r ict , São Paulo, Brazil.
Th is st u dy aim ed t o con st r u ct assessm en t prognosticators for nursing technicians and auxiliaries in the sam e way as for nurses( 8), privileging expression
r e se a r ch . Th e r e f o r e , q u a l i t a t i v e r e p r e se n t a t i v e sam pling w as adopt ed, w hich values “ int er pr et at ive or ar gum ent at iv ely cont r olled” cr it er ia, const it ut ing “ int ent ional sam ples”( 9).
Thus, a w ork group w as com posed w it h 19 p r of ession als, in w h ich on e n u r sin g t ech n ician or auxiliary represent ed each ND unit , const it ut ing t he f o cu s g r o u p t o p r o p o se t h e a sse ssm e n t prognost icat ors for t hese funct ional cat egories. From t his group, 14 part icipat ed in m ost of t he m eet ings and five sporadically, j ust ifying t heir absences by t he u n i t ’ s d y n a m i cs a n d p e r so n a l p r o b l e m s. Th e se p ar t i ci p an t s w er e ack n o w l ed g ed b y t h ei r g r o u p , com m it t ed and w it h spont aneous k now ledge about t h e r e se a r ch si t u a t i o n , w h i ch e n r i ch e d t h e developm ent of t his work.
Co n si d er i n g t h e p r o p o sed o b j ect i v e; t h e r esear ch p r ob lem , w h ich con st it u t es a r eal w or k sit uat ion; and t he adopt ed m et hod, which allows for the integration of various techniques involving people’s part icipat ion in group processes, dat a collect ion was carried out by m eans of focus group t echnique. This m ethod offers the possibility to think collectively about an issue that is part of the participants‘ routine.
Th e f o cu s g r o u p t e ch n i q u e w a s ch o se n because, t hrough t he group, t he individual acquires his/ her ident it y, is able t o r ecognizing his/ her ow n for m fr om r ealit y, as a m ir r or t hat r eflect s his/ her im age( 10).
The group is an instrum ent to transform ation both individual and group reality, because it prom otes int eract ion am ong it s m em bers, who influence each ot h er ’s opin ion s, an d t h is ex ch an ge pr om ot es t h e g r o u p ’ s g r o w t h . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e g r o u p ca n b e underst ood as a learning inst rum ent t hat prom ot es a reflection, able to transform every day dilem m as into t hought s t hat are bet t er adj ust ed t o realit y( 11).
Sev en m eet in gs of t h r ee h ou r s each w er e held on March 11t h; April2nd, 8t h, 16t h and 23rd; May
20th and June 17th 2004. The m eetings were recorded
t o facilit at e r ecov er y and analy sis of t he discussed co n t e n t . Th e f o cu s g r o u p p a r t i ci p a n t s r e ce i v e d ex plan at ion s abou t t h e r esear ch obj ect iv es, w h ich w er e also t h e obj ect iv es of ND m an agem en t . Th e latter’s task was lim ited to the creation of perform ance evaluat ion prognost icat ors. They were also inform ed ab ou t t h e w or k st r at eg y t h at est ab lish ed sp ecif ic ob j ect iv es an d t ask s f or all m eet in g s, as w ell as discussion, t he gr oup’s pr oposal t o r ealize t he t ask and work synthesis. After all explanations, participants
signed t he Fr ee and I nfor m ed Consent Ter m w hich assured anonym it y and volunt ary part icipat ion.
Considering t he com plexit y of t he t ask and it s b ein g a p olem ic issu e, t w o r esear ch er s w er e responsible for coordinating the m eetings. They aim ed t o prom ot e condit ions t o st im ulat e group m em bers’ p a r t i ci p a t i o n a n d cr e a t e a f a v o r a b l e a n d t r u st y environm ent t o reach t he group’s obj ect ives.
Th e coor din at or s sy st em at ically began t he discussions by synt hesizing t he cont ent present ed by t h e g r ou p . Th is p r oced u r e aim ed t o f acilit at e t h e t eaching- learning process, bearing in m ind t hat t he discovery of values and beliefs would result from an em in en t ly p er son al sear ch( 1 0 ). Th u s, t h e g r o u p ’s
ex pr essions and deliber at ions w er e analy zed based on specific lit erat ure about professional perform ance assessm ent in hum an resource m anagem ent .
RESULTS
A sy n t h esis of t h e m eet in gs is pr esen t ed, h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e m o st r e l e v a n t a sp e ct s o f t h e co n st r u ct i o n o f p r o g n o st i ca t o r s t o e v a l u a t e t h e perform ance of nursing technicians and auxiliaries who worked at t he TH- USP.
The first m eeting aim ed to: present the work proposal t o t he group; define t he m eet ing program and contextualize the perform ance evaluation process of t h e ND at t h e TH- USP. Th u s, t h e coor d in at or s em p h asi zed i t w o u l d b e a p ar t i ci p at i v e p r o cess, expressing t hat t he group’s at t ent ion would focus on the content of the new instrum ent, that is, on the choice of prognost icat ors and t heir definit ions, because t he sam e evaluation technique would be used for the new inst rum ent creat ed t o evaluat e nursing perform ance. I t is im por t ant t o say t hat t his inst r um ent pr ev iew ed fiv e assessm ent lev els, accor ding t o t he achievem ent of requirem ent s: Does not achieve t he r equir em ent s; Achiev es t he r equir em ent s less t han sa t i sf a ct o r i l y ; Ach i e v e s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s sat isfact orily; Tot ally achieves t he requirem ent s and Ex ce e d s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s. Th e co n ce p t t o t a l l y a ch i e v e s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s co r r e sp o n d s t o t h e perform ance st andard required by t he inst it ut ion and is defined in t he evaluat ion prognost icat or.
pr ofessionals’ opinions at t he r espect iv e unit s t hey represented. The participants showed enthusiasm and willingness t o assum e t he challenge. Som e of t hem r epor t ed t h at t h ey con sider ed par t icipat in g in t h e p r o ce ss w a s a n i m p o r t a n t o p p o r t u n i t y, m a k i n g decisions and being responsible for t he result s.
The obj ect ive of t he second m eet ing was t o st ar t sur v ey ing how t he par t icipant s conceiv ed t he desir ed char act er ist ics for t he funct ions of nur sing technician and auxiliary. Thus, the coordinators asked t h em t o r ef lect abou t t h e act iv it ies dev eloped by nur sing t echnicians and aux iliar ies and t o highlight t he professional and personal charact erist ics needed t o exercise t hese funct ions.
The discussion cont inued w it h par t icipant s m an if est in g t h em selv es ab ou t t h e con t en t u n d er an al y si s an d , at t h e en d o f t h e m eet i n g , g r o u p m em ber s w er e or ient ed t o ask t heir colleagues at t heir respect ive unit s t o do t he sam e. The obj ect ive w as t o p r oceed w it h a m or e com p r eh en siv e an d representative investigation about characteristics they consider ed im por t ant .
Som e par t icipant s inquir ed about t he need t o separat e t he charact erist ics of nursing t echnicians and auxiliaries and creat e t wo different inst rum ent s, t aking int o account t raining differences. This decision w as l ef t f o r t h e n ex t m eet i n g i n o r d er t o al l o w part icipant s t o consult t heir colleagues.
Th e t h i r d , f o u r t h a n d f i f t h f o cu s g r o u p m e e t i n g s a i m e d t o d e e p e n t h e d i scu ssi o n o f pr ofessionals and per sonal char act er ist ics sur v ey ed a t t h e u n i t s, a g g r e g a t i n g t h e m b y a f f i n i t y a n d representativeness, in order to com pose the definitions of t he perform ance evaluat ion prognost icat ors.
Before that, at the start of the third m eeting, t h e discu ssion abou t t h e con st r u ct ion of dif f er en t instrum ents for nursing technicians and auxiliaries was r esum ed. Aft er r eflect ing and ponder ing, t he gr oup concluded t hat , despit e t he t raining differences, bot h perform ed the sam e activities at the TH- USP. Also, as t h er e w as n o dif f er en t iat ion in t h eir salar ies, t h e requirem ent s should be t he sam e for bot h funct ions, represent ed by a single inst rum ent .
The par t icipant s r epor t ed a lack of int er est and som e disbelief by t heir colleagues t ow ar ds t he p er f or m an ce assessm en t p r ocess, w h ich m ad e it d i f f i cu l t t o o b t a i n t h e i r co l l a b o r a t i o n t o su r v e y desirable characteristics for their function. Additionally, during t he m eet ings, t he gr oup r epor t ed difficult ies t o clearly and obj ect ively define t he prognost icat ors
t h at w ou ld pict u r e w h at pr of ession al per f or m an ce cor r esp on d ed t o t h e con cep t Tot ally ach iev es t h e r equir em ent s.
Am ong t he charact erist ics appoint ed by t he g r o u p a s d esi r a b l e f o r ca r e d el i v er y b y n u r si n g technicians and auxiliaries, we highlight som e groupings t hat preceded t he definit ion of t he prognost icat ors: - assum ing and com ply ing w it h appoint m ent s, t asks,
ob ligat ion s, t im e sch ed u le, ex ecu t in g t h e p r op osed
act iv it ies;
- being aw ar e of one’s act ions; being know ledgeable
for one’s act ions; honest y; respect ing and m aint aining
e t h i c a l p r i n c i p l e s ; n o t b e i n g c o n n i v i n g ; b e i n g
pr ofessional; assum ing er r or s; being et hical;
- being secure in perform ing act ivit ies; being zealous
and pr ot ect t hat and t hose under one’s car e; being
rat ional; acknowledging lim it s and seeking orient at ion;
respect ing norm s, philosophy and m ission ( of t he HU) ;
- b ei n g so l i d ar y ; b o n d i n g w i t h t h e p at i en t ; b ei n g
c o o p e r a t i v e a n d a c c e p t i n g o t h e r p e o p l e ’ s h e l p ;
coop er at ion ;
- fr iendly ; polit e; nice; t eam w or k ; being r espect ful;
being const ant ; em ot ional balance; not having a bad
t e m p e r ; t r u s t w o r t h y ; d o i n g w h a t o n e s a y s ;
w elcom in g; bein g solidar y ;
- not t alking loud; not m aking fun of friends; not being
ir on ic; n ot ex posin g ot h er s; k n ow in g h ow t o list en ;
a d e q u a t e v e r b a l a n d n o n - v e r b a l co m m u n i ca t i o n ;
h a v i n g g o o d co m m u n i ca t i o n ; d i a l o g u e a n d t a l k ;
k n ow in g h ow t o m ak e y ou r self u n der st an dable w it h
clear and sim ple language;
- r e a d a b l e w r i t i n g ; n o Po r t u g u e se e r r o r s; cl e a r ,
obj ect ive, succinct ; adequat e language t o t he pat ient ’s
or pr ofessional’s under st anding; v oice t one adequat e
t o t h e en v ir on m en t , sit u at ion or people. Not bein g
aggr essiv e; t r ansm it t ing t r ust and cr edibilit y ; hav ing
k n ow led g e, coh er en ce b et w een w h at on e say s an d
d o es.
- h av in g a good pr esen t at ion an d accor din g t o t h e
en v ir on m en t ; act in g accor din g t o t h e en v ir on m en t ;
ad eq u at e clot h in g an d accessor ies; ask in g p lease,
excuse m e, saying t hanks; respect ing pat ient s’ fears;
ed u ca t i o n ; r i g h t a t t i t u d es i n d i f f er en t si t u a t i o n s;
socializat ion w it h d if f er en t p er son alit ies; em ot ion al
cont r ol; calm and pat ience;
- h av in g a g ood r elat ion sh ip w it h t h e w or k t eam ,
r espect ing hier ar chy ; at t ent iv e; good hum or ed;
- seek in g n ew k n ow ledge; k eepin g on e’s f u n ct ion al
k n ow led g e u p d at ed ; at t en d in g cou r ses; ex p an d in g
- h av in g t ech n ical k n ow ledge abou t equ ipm en t an d
t ech n ologies; k n ow in g n or m s an d t ask s t o ex ecu t e
efficient ly ; t r ust w or t hy and safe w or k ; k now ing how
and w hy one is doing t he procedure; asking w hen in
doubt ; general perspect ive of t he sect or; knowing what
pr ior it ies t o set ;
- hav ing good sense t o or ganize; st ar t and finish, if
u n fin ish ed leav e t h in gs in t h e r igh t dir ect ion ; leav e
t he w or k one has st ar t ed in pr oper condit ions t o be
c o n t i n u e d b y t h e n e x t ; a c t i o n s t h a t f a v o r c a r e
co n t i n u i t y ; d ef i n e act i o n ; f av o r act i o n co n t i n u i t y ;
priorit ize what m ust be done; adequat e resource use;
using wit hout wast ing t o reduce cost s; keeping t hings
or gan ized; br oad per spect iv e.
- being com m it t ed t o t he work/ inst it ut ion; part icipat ing
and accom pany ing changes; seek ing k now ledge and
i n f o r m a t i o n f o r r e l a t i v e s; f a v o r i n g p e r so n a l a n d
p r of ession al p er f or m an ce.
I n order t o define t he prognost icat ors, each g r ou p in g w as t h or ou g h ly d iscu ssed an d , w h en a consensus was not reached, the coordinators directed t he discussion t o anot her gr ouping. This pr ocedur e aim ed t o assure enough t im e for t he part icipant s t o reflect about exposed doubts. Reflections were always conducted so as to avoid focus group m em bers losing t h e p e r sp e ct i v e t h a t t h e p r o g n o st i ca t o r s w o u l d int errelat e and m ut ually com plem ent ary in order t o com pose t he desired profile.
No quint o encont ro, conform e argum ent ação e consenso do grupo, foi concluída a elaboração das d ef in ições d os p r og n ost icad or es, ap r esen t ad as a seguir, e novam ente discutidas em profundidade nessa ocasião:
During t he fift h m eet ing, according t o group d i scu ssi o n a n d co n se n su s, t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f prognost icat ors was concluded. These are present ed below and w er e again t hor oughly discussed dur ing t hat m eet ing:
Responsibilit y – Means being conscious of one’s act s, assum ing them according to ethical and legal principles. At t ending prescheduled appoint m ent s. Being secure in t he perform ance of one’s act ivit ies, acknowledging bot h difficult ies and lim it at ions. Being assiduous, not u n n ecessar ily ab sen t f r om w or k . Bein g p u n ct u al, rarely late. Com m unicating ahead in case of delay or absen ce.
Post ure – I s respect ful and polit e t o people keeping oneself calm and pat ient in difficult sit uat ions. Pe r so n a l a p p e a r a n ce : a d e q u a t e cl o t h i n g a n d accessor ies; per sonal hy giene.
I nterpersonal relationship – I s friendly, polite, solidary, at t ent ive,welcom ing and reliable.
I s constant in term s of em otional balance. I s not bad t em per ed. Cooper at es and collabor at es w it h people and allows for collaborat ion.
Te ch n i ca l - sci e n t i f i c k n o w l e d g e – Ke e p s o n e se l f u p d at ed i n t h e f u n ct i o n . Kn o w s h o w t o p er f o r m activities securely, efficiently and guided by technical-scient ific know ledge.
Ve r b a l co m m u n i ca t i o n : o r a l a n d w r i t t e n – Com m u n icat es clear ly, ob j ect iv ely an d su ccin ct ly. Makes oneself understood through language adequate to the person to whom one talks. Adequate voice tone for t he environm ent , sit uat ion and person. Transm it s securit y in com m unicat ion. Talks and writ es correct ly and has readable writ ing.
Organizat ion – Knows how t o organize and priorit ize act ivit ies t o be perform ed. Conduct s act ions in order t o favor t he cont inuit y of care and t eam work. Uses available resources adequately, avoids wasting. Keeps t he work place organized.
I nt erest – I s com m it t ed t o t he work and inst it ut ion. Se e k s k n o w l e d g e t o f a ci l i t a t e a n d f a v o r o n e ’ s pr ofessional and per sonal per for m ance. Par t icipat es in and follows inst it ut ional changes.
During the sixth m eeting, the group gathered t o approve t he prognost icat or definit ions. Therefore, t hese definit ions were print ed on t he new inst rum ent and delivered beforehand t o t he part icipant s for final approval and t est ing.
Ea c h g r o u p m e m b e r a s s u m e d t h e com m it m ent t o t est t he new inst r um ent at his/ her u n i t , a sk i n g a n u r se a n d a n u r si n g a u x i l i a r y o r t echnician t o do t he evaluat ion and self- evaluat ion, r e s p e c t i v e l y. I n t h i s t e s t , b o t h e v a l u a t o r a n d ev alu at ed w er e in v it ed t o ex p r ess t h eir op in ion s w i t h r esp ect t o t h e n ew i n st r u m en t , su g g est i n g ch an g es t h ey j u d g ed n ecessar y. Th e in st r u m en t s t e s t e d a t d i f f e r e n t N D u n i t s w e r e s e n t t o t h e Ed u c a t i o n a l S u p p o r t S e r v i c e , r e s p o n s i b l e f o r coor dinat ing t he ND assessm ent pr ocess, and t hen analy zed by t he focus gr oup coor dinat or s and ot her r esea r ch er s.
At t h e e n d o f t h i s m e e t i n g , t h e g r o u p part icipant s report ed t hat t he experience gave t hem personal and professional m ot ivat ion, since t hey felt r espect ed and v alued for finding an oppor t unit y t o par t icipat e.
DI SCUSSI ON
Th e gr ou p r epor t ed dif f icu lt ies t o ach iev e involvem ent and part icipat ion of t he colleagues t hey represented. These were exposed during the m eetings in som e st at em ent s t hat illust rat ed t he disbelief wit h r e sp e ct t o t h e p e r f o r m a n ce e v a l u a t i o n . Th e se st at em ent s ev idenced t hat pr oblem s not r elat ed t o the evaluation itself, but due to the interpersonal and power relations culturally established at the institution. The group was then stim ulated by the coordinators to r eflect about t hese issues, w it h a view t o a cr it ical analy sis of r ealit y and pr oposals for per t inent and possible changes.
As ex pect ed, anot her difficult y ex per ienced by t he gr oup w as t he fact t hat t he pr ognost icat or s f r a g m e n t e d t h e e v a l u a t e d p r o f e ssi o n a l s i n charact erist ics, alt hough t he coordinat ors cont inually em phasized t hat t he obj ect ive of t he prognost icat ors was to facilitate the diagnosis of specific subj ects and t h a t i t w a s p e o p l e ’ s t a sk , b o t h e v a l u a t o r s a n d ev a l u a t ed , t o co r r el a t e t h e p r o g n o st i ca t o r s a n d reint egrat e t he perform ance, showing t he individual as a whole. Therefore, it was also pointed out that it is essential to facilitate the training of those involved in t he evaluat ion process.
Th e d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e Re s p o n s i b i l i t y p r og n ost icat or p r esu p p oses et h ical b eh av ior an d co m m i t m e n t t o a cq u i r e t e ch n i ca l k n o w l e d g e t o exercise the function and assum es the intent to detect one’s ow n deficiencies. Finally, it redeem s assiduit y and punct ualit y in a m ore pract ical way and direct s t hem t o viable problem s.
I n order t o assess individual responsibilit y, it is necessar y t o k now t he desir ed w or k in or der t o perform the activities in the established schedule and a s r e q u i r e d , a sse ssi n g q u a l i t y a cco r d i n g t o t h e assum ed et hical behavior( 8).
Respon sibilit y pr ecedes t h e assu m pt ion of act ions and fault s, precedes t he errors, responsibilit y is not com m it t ing errors, is having knowledge so as not to com m it errors. This is established in articles 16 to 20, Chapter I I I of the Nursing Professionals Ethics
Code( 12). This aspect refers t o t he responsibilit y for
one’s own t raining, showing how m uch t he assessed pr ofessional is concer ned and act s t o solv e his/ her difficulties, seeking external resources, and the extent t o w h ich ( s) h e u ses t h e r esou r ces av ailable at or offered by t he inst it ut ion.
Wit h regard t o Post ur e, great ly discussed in t he gr oup, it fundam ent ally car r ies t he m eaning of r e sp e ct t o o t h e r s, d i scr e t i o n i n a ct i o n s a n d i n p e r s o n a l a p p e a r a n c e a n d e m o t i o n a l b a l a n c e . Par t icipant s w er e unanim ous about t he im por t ance o f p o s t u r e i n t h e d i s c u s s i o n s , d e m o n s t r a t i n g dem on st r at e k n ow ledge of t h e r equ ir em en t lev el, a l t h o u g h i t w a s n o t a n e a s y t a s k t o d e f i n e i t obj ect iv ely.
I n g en er al, lit er at u r e r est r ict s p ost u r e t o personal appearance. Ot her aut hors have called t his prognosticator “ Equilibrium and m aturity”. They define it as not being im pulsive, not fleeing from problem s and dealing wit h pressures and frust rat ions, besides respecting others and being discrete( 13). This definition
part ially corresponds t o t he requirem ent designed by t h e g r ou p an d p ar t ially g oes b ey on d t h e g r ou p ’s requirem ent , because it im poses ot her unm ent ioned r equir em ent s.
Discer nm ent and or der in t he ex ecut ion of a ct i v i t i e s w a s a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e p r o g n o st i ca t o r Or g an i zat i o n, in clu din g con cer n s t o f acilit at e car e cont inuit y and t o be account able for t he rat ional use of av ailable r esour ces.
O r a l a n d w r i t t e n c o m m u n i c a t i o n w a s punctually defined, not as interaction between people but as obj ect iv eness t o t alk , list en and w r it e. This w as t he gr oup’s opt ion t o evaluat e com m unicat ion, k n o w i n g t h a t o n e o f t h e m a i n d i sr u p t i o n s i n or g an izat ion s is r elat ed t o p eop le’s d if f icu lt ies t o com m unicat e adequat ely. Generally, com m unicat ion p r o b l e m s r e f l e ct d e e p e r d y sf u n ct i o n s, su ch a s e x t r e m e l y d i r e ct i v e a n d e x ce ssi v e l y ce n t e r e d m a n a g e r i a l st y l e s a n d , p o ssi b l y, b a d l y d e f i n e d at t ribut ions( 14).
I n t er p er so n al r el at i o n sh i p w as on e of t h e p r og n ost icat or s t h e g r ou p m ost v alu ed , in clu d in g r elat ions am ong pr ofessionals, pat ient s and fam ily, as well as concern wit h t eam work.
the m easurem ent of professional experience( 13), while
ot hers evaluat e knowledge updat ing and knowledge of related areas( 15). The group’s definition lim ited it to
t he evaluat ed funct ion.
The central idea of the prognosticator I nt erest is related to com m itm ent with organizational strategies a n d o b j e ct i v e s, b e ca u se i t co m p r i se s b o t h t h e i m p o r t a n ce o f a t t e m p t i n g t o i m p r o v e o n e ’ s p er f o r m a n ce a n d p a r t i ci p a t i o n i n o r g a n i za t i o n a l ch an ges.
CONCLUSI ONS
A research is always richer that its report. I t could be perceived from the m eetings that the group enriched the discussions, aggregating inform ation that w ent bey ond t hose necessar y t o per for m t he t ask , im proving reflections and contributing to the involved people’s t raining.
I n t his sense, t he adopt ed research m et hod, i.e. act ion- research, perm it t ed associat ing a learning abilit y wit h t he research process( 9). The group it self
m anifested increased awareness of reality. I n addition, the discussions and explanations from the researchers m ade it possible t o gener at e descr ipt iv e and m or e crit ical knowledge of t he sit uat ion.
Th e m o t i v a t i o n a n d v a l o r i za t i o n g r o u p par t icipant s m anifest ed at t he end of t he m eet ings
evidenced t hat t he adopt ed st rat egy perm it t ed going beyond t he creat ion of evaluat ion prognost icat ors, as it resulted in a significant instrum ent for m edium - level professionals and prom oted possibilities for expression a n d r ef l ect i o n a b o u t t h e m ea n i n g s a n d f eel i n g s p ar t icip an t s an d t h eir p ar t n er s at t r ib u t ed t o t h e per for m ance ev aluat ion pr ocess.
Focu s gr ou p par t icipan t s ex pr essed in t h e work evaluat ion t hat , besides feeling m ore prepared t o cope w it h ev alu at ion pr oblem s, t h ey f elt m or e valued by their participation in the construction of the inst r um ent .
Par t icipat ion is con sider ed t o be a sh ar ed process, in which people get em ot ionally involved, in group situations, which encourage them to contribute to the group’s obj ectives and to assum e responsibility t o reach t hem . Thus, decisions m ust com e from t he gr ou p, t h r ou gh con sen su s an d people’s m ax im u m involvem ent and com m it m ent( 16).
Th i s p a r t i ci p a t i o n i m p l i es u si n g p eo p l e’ s i n t el l ect u a l p o t en t i a l , t o i m p r o v e t h e q u a l i t y o f decisions and adm inist r at ion as w ell as t o im pr ov e people’s sat isfact ion and m ot ivat ion( 17).
Al t h o u g h t h i s w o r k i n i t se l f ca n n o t b e considered part icipat ive adm inist rat ion, t his init iat ive showed t hat m ore dem ocrat ic m anagem ent m et hods can and should be adopt ed, t urning rigid st ruct ures m or e flex ible and st im ulat ing people’s inv olv em ent in t he work processes.
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