Assistência a crianças com transtorno do espectro autista: vivências de enfermeiros/enfermeiras na atenção primária

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodegenerative disorder whose etiology has not been elucidated and is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects a person's communication, behavior and social interaction. Public policies aimed at the population with ASD in Brazil are recent, which results in a lack of up-to-date data on its prevalence. Children with ASD are at greater risk of developing anxiety, depression, isolation, bullying and even self-harm. Their families also face mental health problems. Given the complexity of these people's needs, it is essential that nurses are trained to offer humanized care. However, despite the importance of the issue and the high number of diagnoses in the country, there is a gap in the training of health professionals from the time they graduate. Although Primary Health Care (PHC) has multi-professional teams, neurodivergent groups, such as people with ASD, still receive little attention. In view of this, the aim of this study was to analyse nurses' experiences of caring for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Primary Health Care, in the light of humanization in health. This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, carried out in a municipality in the Triângulo Mineiro, with 16 nurses. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews based on a validated script. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed in full. The questions aimed to identify Critical Incidents, using this technique to obtain primary data. The analysis was carried out using the content analysis approach. The project was developed in accordance with the principles of Resolution 510/2016, which regulates research with human beings. The interviews resulted in 19 situations that were revealed as CI, where 15 were negative (78.9%) and 4 positive (21.1%), which involved 149 behaviors, 78 were negative (52.4%) and 71 positive (47.6%) and 39 consequences, 25 were negative (64.1%) and 14 positive (35.9%). Given the predominance of negative situations experienced or observed, it can be concluded that professionals are not properly prepared to offer qualified, resolutive, equitable and humanized care to children with ASD and their families, in accordance with the principles of the National Humanization Policy (NHP). Most of the reports indicated difficulties that prevent the care provided by nurses to these children from being conducted from the perspective of humanization. The results showed that nurses face major challenges when caring for children with ASD, especially in activities such as anthropometry and immunization. The lack of an appropriate approach and training aggravates the difficulties in reception, generating a negative perception in children about their visits to health units. Communication with non-verbal children or those with social limitations is another critical point. Despite these difficulties, the professionals strive to offer humanized care. The study highlights the importance of training PHC professionals to provide more efficient and humanized care to these children, and recommends that management promote training and offer support to both professionals and families.