Nurse contribution to the construction of health policy in the state of Bahia (1925-1930)

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the contribution of nurses to the construction of health policy in the state of Bahia, from 1925 to 1930. Methods: qualitative research, from a historical nature. Data were retrieved from five public archives, organized in a documentary corpus, and analyzed based on the health political analysis and the social control concepts, health policy and public health. Results: from 1925 to 1930, the State seized the work of the woman/nurse and established it in public health. This fact enabled the nurse’s contribution to the construction of the health policy of the state of Bahia, which took place by the implementation of sanitary education actions, home visits and hygienic surveillance. Final considerations: the female nurse’s work made the health policy of the state of Bahia viable and was an ideal instrument to access homes and instruct/advise people in their daily lives to adopt behaviors that prevent the occurrence and, above all, the spread of diseases.