Cuidando de crianças maltratadas em um hospital público: reflexões sobre a prática de enfermagem / Caring for child maltread in a public hospital: reflections on nursing practice

ABSTRACT

The growing number of abused children that are hospitalized makes necessary an evaluation of the quality of hospital services offered to them. It also necessary to investigate the professional needs of people in charge of the care of these children in order to improve their work performance. This work is being carried out through workshops made with nursing professionals where issues like child abuse, characteristics of public hospital services and participant's perceptions to their professionals practice are discussed. The objectives of the research are: make a survey of the difficulties that nursing professionals at public hospital face when treating victims of child abuse and the implications of these difficulties in their work. Generate space for exchanging information and experiences among professionals that work with domestic violence issues and also to care for children and their families in hospitals. An analysis of the data shows us that professionals lack proper qualification to deal with social problems related to child abuse and understanding a domestic violence. Professionals must be prepared to face this social problem as well as institutions. Nursing plays an important role in the process of bringing back personal dignity and social autonomy to those under its care...