[Analysis of health and life conditions of the urban population of Botucatu, SP (Brazil). III. Knowledge and opinions of health professionals about symptoms of diseases, 1984].

The knowledge and opinions of health professionals of Botucatu about the frequency and severity of thirteen symptoms and signs of diseases were studied with a view to comparing then with the opinions of Botucatu's urban population. Four hundred and thirty-five active health professionals (physicians, nurses, nurse aides, health workers (orderlies) and others were interviewed. Most of them were women, with ages ranging from 25 to 44. The health workers (orderlies) were the most numerous category. In general, the last five symptoms included in the form: bloody sputum, vaginal bleeding, breast lump, seizures and bloody urine, were considered less frequent and more serious as compared with the first eight symptoms: shortness of breath, fever, weakness, back pain (backache), chest pain, headache, cough and diarrhoea. Among the categories, the physicians differed from the other categories in less frequently attributing high scores to frequency and severity. The clinicians gave more value to these two factors than the surgeons for almost all symptoms. The comparison with the opinions of the laymen interviewed showed similar tendencies although the laymen regarded frequency and severity as more significant.