[Epistemic communities and the challenges of training health technicians during the COVID-19 pandemicComunidades epistémicas y retos en cuanto a la educación de los técnicos en salud durante la pandemia de COVID-19]. / Comunidades epistêmicas e os desafios na formação de técnicos em saúde na pandemia de covid-19.

This article discusses the role of the epistemic community linked to the training of health technicians through analysis of the actions initiated by the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Center for the education of these technicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of comparing these actions with the main elements that define the constitution and functioning of epistemic communities according to the specialized literature. It is argued that, despite the differences in the historical configuration of national healthcare and training systems, the emergence of common challenges in the training of technicians allowed the articulation of demands, the sharing of diagnostic assessments, and the cooperation between the International Network of Health Technicians Education, the Ibero-American Network of Health Technicians Education, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries Network of Health Technician Schools, promoting the exchange of experiences, the search for strategic solutions, and the dissemination of recommendations across countries. By reaffirming the central role of health technicians in epidemiological surveillance, diagnosis and assistance, the COVID health emergency demanded immediate and consistent responses from governments and educational institutions, favoring the strengthening of the health technician epistemic community through the circulation of discourses and the hegemonization of meanings for the education of technicians. These actions, however, do not translate into stability or homogeneity for the epistemic community, since their articulation is always provisional and contingent, nor do they ensure the capacity to directly influence policies in each country.

En este artículo se examina el desempeño de la comunidad epistémica vinculada a la educación de técnicos en salud a partir del análisis de las medidas iniciadas por el centro colaborador de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud/Organización Mundial de la Salud (OPS/OMS) para la educación de técnicos en salud durante la pandemia de COVID-19, con el objetivo de comparar estas medidas con los principales elementos que definen la constitución y el funcionamiento de las comunidades epistémicas, de conformidad con la bibliografía especializada. Se argumenta que, a pesar de las diferencias en la configuración histórica de los sistemas nacionales de salud y de educación, el surgimiento de desafíos comunes para la educación de técnicos propició la articulación de demandas, el intercambio de evaluaciones con fines de diagnóstico y la cooperación entre la Red Internacional de Educación de Técnicos en Salud, la Red Iberoamericana de Educación de Técnicos en Salud y la Red de Escuelas Técnicas de Salud de la Comunidad de Países de Lengua Portuguesa, con el fin de promover el intercambio de experiencias, la búsqueda de soluciones estratégicas y la difusión de recomendaciones entre los países. Al reafirmar el papel central de los técnicos en las medidas de vigilancia epidemiológica, diagnóstico y atención, la emergencia de salud exigió respuestas inmediatas y coherentes de los gobiernos y de las instituciones educativas, lo cual favoreció el fortalecimiento de la comunidad epistémica vinculada a la educación de técnicos en salud al hacer circular discursos y ejercer hegemonía con respecto al sentido de la educación de esos profesionales. Sin embargo, esta actuación no confiere estabilidad ni homogeneidad a dicha comunidad epistémica, en vista de que sus afirmaciones son provisionales y contingentes, ni asegura su capacidad de influir directamente en las políticas de cada país.

[The scientific production and research groups on sanitary surveillance at CNPq]. / A produção científica e grupos de pesquisa sobre vigilância sanitária no CNPq.

Sanitary surveillance is an intersectorial and multidisciplinary practice of health regulation. The aim was to describe the scientific research on sanitary surveillance and its research groups in Brazil during the period of 1997 to 2003, through the Census of 2000, 2002 and 2004 of Directory of Research Groups of the Scientific and Technological Development National Council (CNPq). The term "sanitary surveillance" was used to search the production and the research groups in the Lattes Platform of CNPq. There were 1,194 items, 913 in bibliographic production and 281 in post-graduated production, with an increment of 540% on the period. There were 735 research groups, created mostly from 2000 to 2003 and 6,263 researchers concentrated in the Southeast Region and in CNPq sub area of Public Health. The great increase of the production lead to the conclusion that sanitary surveillance have been a locus of production only in the last decade, presented in scientific events of Public Health and until now concentrated just like others areas in Health.