Percepção e conhecimento dos concluintes dos cursos de odontologia, medicina e enfermagem da UFRN sobre maus-tratos infantis

Abstract

Child abuse is considered one of the main global public health problems, compromising several aspects of victims' lives. Faced with this problem, the relevant role of health professionals in managing suspected cases stands out, being able to act from identifying and diagnosing cases, as well as notifying and monitoring victims. And in primary care, professionals can develop educational and preventive actions on the topic for the community. The objective of the study is to analyze the level of knowledge about child abuse among those completing Dentistry, Medicine and Nursing courses at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. This research is characterized as an exploratory, cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative approach. 128 completed questionnaires were returned. For data analysis, descriptive statistics were used. The results revealed that, although everyone claimed to know what the term “child abuse” means, 89% (114 graduates) reported that the information obtained during graduation on the topic was not sufficient. And more than half (67% - 86 graduates) stated that they did not feel capable of diagnosing children and/or adolescents who suffer abuse. New pedagogical strategies in universities are necessary, aiming to prepare professionals to deal with situations of child violence effectively, just as health institutions should also consider training professionals on the subject, especially those who work in the Unified Health System.