HOSPITAL DISCHARGE OF HIGH-RISK NEWBORNS: THE CARE INTERFACE BETWEEN MATERNITY AND PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Patient Discharge; Infant Newborn; Primary Health Care; Comprehensive Health Care; Child Health.
Child mortality is still a serious public health problem in the national and international context, especially when it comes to the neonatal component. Despite the numerous strategies already implemented to cope with the high number of child deaths, there is still a need for continuous efforts to offer comprehensive and qualified care to the newborn. The shared hospital discharge process is presented as a potential strategy aiming at the appropriate follow-up of the risk newborn. The aim of this study was to analyze the interaction and sharing of care actions between maternity Family Health Strategy teams after hospital discharge, and follow-up of high-risk newborns in Primary Health Care. This is an exploratory descriptive study using a qualitative approach, conducted in a city of Northeastern Brazil. The subjects were 39 Family Health Unit professionals who care for newborns. An interview consisting of open and closed questions was applied. The data were systematized using content analysis in the thematic modality. The results demonstrate that the relationship between maternity and family health teams in the newborn discharge process remains a challenge, since it is disjointed and fragmented, with no integration or sharing of actions. The Family Health Strategy follow-up is also inadequate, given that the professionals exhibit difficulties in understanding the particularities of these children, compromising the care they provide. There is a need to implement mechanisms that favor cooperation and communication between the different care levels, in order to integrate the services.