Protocolo de prevenção para acidentes por quedas em recém-nascidos

Abstract

Accidents by fall are the second leading cause of deaths due to accidental or unintentional injuries in the world. With newborns (NB), it is defined when the child being held by the health professional, family members or companion, falls or slips off the hands, arms or lap (regardless of whether it results in injuries or not). At the institution where the study was carried out, throughout 2019 up to August, 5 cases of such an event involving NB were registered. Although the main injuries reported were minor abrasions and excoriations, these incidents are generally preventable. Thus, it is essential that health institutions offer a safety program for newborns and also a secure environment in order to reduce or extinguish these events. This is a qualitative study that aimed at developing, along with nurse assistants and members of the CPS (Center for Patient Safety), a fall prevention protocol for newborns in the rooming-in care (RIC). The research followed two distinct but complementary phases. In the first phase, data collection happened through interviewing nurse assistants and representatives of the CPS between July and August of 2020. Therefore, the analysis of these professionals' interviews and the in-depth study of scientific evidence (which addresses the prevention of accidents caused by falls involving newborns) subsidized the elaboration of the protocol. The study site was a maternity hospital, a high-risk reference in the State. Data analysis was guided by Bardin and followed three steps: pre-analysis, material exploration and interpretation of results. From the analysis of the interviews, the following categories arose: difficulties in adopting safe measures to prevent falls involving newborns, and paths for a protocol elaboration. The second phase of the research was the construction of the protocol, guided by Werneck; Faria; Campos (2009) and Brasil (2019). The research participants were chosen as the interest group, contributing to the elaboration of the scope. From this point on, the researcher used the contributions of the interviewees and the literature review as a technical-scientific support for the elaboration of the preventive clinical activities found within the protocol. It has been concluded that the protocol will guide the adoption of good practices and the promotion of patient safety, considering that, in the long term, indicators will be developed in order to allow the evaluation of processes and results, culminating in the conduction of safe and constant assessments.