HOSPITAL LINEN AND HEALTH CARE: PERSPECTIVE OF PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS

Objective: analyze the understanding of the use of hospital linen and its importance in health care. Method: case study with 19 university level professionals (physicians and nurses), 23 secondary level professionals (nursing technicians and aides) and 11 undergraduate students (nursing and medicine) from a teaching hospital in the state of São Paulo, from February to June 2016. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis. Results:two categories emerged from data analysis: “Hospital linen as a care item” and “Provision of linen for care”. Final considerations: the participants were unaware of the meaning and importance of linen within the care context. Educational activities are needed to understand its importance.