Representa es sociais de enfermeiros sobre o portador de tuberculose Social representations of nurses about tuberculosis patients

OBJETIVO: Descrever as representa es sociais de enfermeiros sobre o doente com tuberculose. MéTODOS: Pesquisa qualitativa com referencial na Teoria das Representa es Sociais. Para produ o dos dados utilizou-se a técnica de entrevista individual, com 52 enfermeiros, utilizando um roteiro com quest es fechadas sobre o perfil pessoal e profissional e outro com 27 quest es abertas que exploraram saberes e fazeres em seu cotidiano com os doentes. Para análise utilizou-se a de conteúdo temática. RESULTADOS: Os enfermeiros constroem representa es sociais baseadas no estereótipo do doente, os associam à ideia de receptáculos da doen a, além de associar a vulnerabilidade ao adoecimento à condi o social. CONCLUS O: As representa es sociais sobre o doente com tuberculose se organizam a partir do medo amparado em características físicas, psicológicas e sociais que ajudam os enfermeiros a delinear a figura-tipo do doente como perigoso. OBJECTIVE: To describe the social representations of nurses about tuberculosis patients. METHODS: A qualitative research was undertaken, based on Social Representations Theory. To produce the data, the individual interview technique was applied, involving 52 nurses, using a script with closed questions about the personal and professional profile and another script with 27 open questions that explored knowledge and action in their daily work with the patients. For analysis, thematic content analysis was applied. RESULTS: The nurses build social representations based on the stereotyped patients, associate them with the idea of receptacles of the disease, besides linking vulnerability with illness and social conditions. CONCLUSION: Social representations about tuberculosis patients are organized based on fear, resting on physical, psychological and social characteristics that help the nurses to outline fhe type-figure of the patient as dangerous.