ESTUDO DE CASO NA INVESTIGAÇÃO EM ENFERMAGEM DE SAÚDE PÚBLICA.

Introduction. Qualitative research study in the health area, from the perspective of community health and public health nursing, centered on a Group of Health Centers, with a focus on its Public Health Unit; Goals. To present competences and describe interventions by specialist nurses in community and public health nursing, in their context; Methods. Qualitative approach in case study modality, data collection through interviews, direct observation and document analysis, data processing carried out in the MAXQDA2020 software, and analysis using an interpretative data matrix, composed of two strategies and two techniques of analysis; Results. Despite not having the same relationship with all the competences put most of them into practice. They are aware that their interventions correspond to their competences, even though they are not involved with all of them in the same way. Nurses' practice takes the form of multifaceted interventions, which demonstrate their great availability for a variety of activities, the most relevant of which are epidemiological surveillance, including vaccination, management, and training of groups. Facilitates their performance good communication, well-defined functions, better facilities and working conditions. They are aware of the regulations from the Order of Nurses, but not so well the other norms to which they are subject too; Conclusions. Some challenges emerge from this investigation, with strong implications for the theory and practice of nursing, in particular for public health nursing: properly valuate these nurses, who should focus more on their activities/interventions, in order to value themselves; "to get out of the walls", to become known and recognized in the community; to be motivated for continuous training, to be able to intervene as a politically participating citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]