Risk in health fieldwork in the Brazilian Amazon: challenges from over a century (1901-2015)

Abstract

Historically, the process of health field research in the Brazilian Amazonian territory is set in a context of adversity, risk, and lack of parameterizations. This scenario is completly different from a controlled and safe work environment usually offered by the installation of a research laboratory. Based on this observation, the aim of this study was to perform a narrative review of the characteristics associated with health fieldwork in the Amazon. The identification of the work process, the primary risks, and the applicable control measures were considered. This survey was realized with previous publications on infectious agents in the Amazon, starting in the early 20th century, and other ones were available in electronic databases. The results showed the history of health research in the Amazon focusing on the working process and existing risks; recognized the main activities in the process of fieldwork in the Amazon ecosystem; identified the context of biological agent exposure, as well as the characteristics of other associated risks; and conducted a review on the measures of control and mitigation of risks applicable to the working process of field research in health in the Amazon. Despite the evidence found, it is necessary to carry out specific studies to improve the comprehension of the risk in such work.