Compromisso com a saúde emocional infantil: concepções da Pediatria

Abstract

According to the National Curriculum Guidelines for the Undergraduate Course in Medicine, it is up to the physician to act with the integral health of the human being in mind. For pediatricians, comprehensive care is even more important, as the child is understood to be a being in physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development, which depends on the environment that supports them. Therefore, it is necessary to understand child development as a process that involves the children’s body and psyche inseparably. Pediatricians, in their childcare or preventive pediatrics consultations, in which they are concerned with monitoring child growth and development, have the opportunity to work towards prevention and health promotion, focusing on emotional and mental health issues of the child and family. However, for this to happen in an effective way, it is necessary that the doctor has had contact with contents of child psychology, mental health and emotional development, which can support their practice. This work is justified by the importance of the relationship between pediatrics and child psychology in comprehensive childhood care, considering the gaps in medical training that need to be identified. Thus, two studies were carried out, with the objective of the first study being to investigate, in medical training, subjects that address contents of child emotional development, childhood mental health and the individual's psychic constitution. This was done through documentary research, in which the Political Pedagogical Projects of the Medical Schools of the state of Minas Gerais were studied, in order to find and analyze the undergraduate courses in Medicine that addressed contents of psychic health, emotional development and mental health during childhood. The second study aimed to investigate the relationship of the pediatric medical community with the emotional health of their patients, primarily in early childhood, from the perspective of the pediatricians. With this in mind, an exploratory qualitative research was carried out, using a sociodemographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as instruments. Pediatric medical professionals, pediatric residents and medical students working at the pediatric outpatient clinic participated during the data collection phase of this study. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis was used for data analysis of both studies and the results were discussed in the light of Winnicottian theory. In study 1, 18 medical schools in the State of Minas Gerais were analyzed. The results showed that there is no standardization of medical education in terms of offering content on child psychology and mental health, emotional development, and the subject psychic constitution. From this, it is possible to reflect on the damages in integral assistance to children that could be avoided through medical training that addresses child psychology and the need for interdisciplinary teaching initiatives. In Study 2, 14 participants were interviewed: six pediatricians, five pediatric residents and three pediatric interns. The results showed that pediatric medical professionals and pediatricians in training understand the gaps in their training and the importance of investing in training and multidisciplinary actions, in order to bring the areas of pediatrics and child psychology closer together, seeking to contemplate comprehensive care in childhood. It can be concluded from these two studies that, both in the documents that govern medical training and in the practice of pediatricians, the importance of interdisciplinarity is remarkable as a possible way to encompass the complexity of offering comprehensive care in our health systems.