Continuidade do cuidado de crianças nascidas prematuramente egressas de Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal

Abstract

Objective: To measure the perception of mothers and/or caregivers of prematurely born children regarding the continuity of care after discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Method: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with mothers and/or caregivers of prematurely born children discharged from intensive care between 2018 and 2020. A partnership was established with the Brazilian Association of Parents, Family Members, Friends, and Caregivers of Premature Babies - Prematurity NGO to recruit participants. Data collection took place remotely through the application of a sociodemographic characterization instrument and the Special Needs Kids Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Ethical principles were followed. Results: 395 mothers and/or caregivers participated. The average gestational age was 29 weeks, average birth weight was 1331 grams, and the average hospitalization duration was approximately 60 days. Regarding the care received, 198 (50.13%) participants reported that the child had health insurance, 77 (19.49%) exclusively used public health services, and 120 (30.38%) used both. The doctor was indicated as the reference professional by 360 (93.75%) participants, and only 5 (1.30%) highlighted the nurse. Approximately 18% of the participants indicated that they had to "often" repeat information about the child's health that should have been in the medical records. Of the total, 48.9% indicated that they "sometimes" felt unsupported by the healthcare system. Conclusions: The results achieved the expected objective and highlighted gaps in the continuity of care.