Nurses' actions in childcare Nursing consultations in Primary Care

Abstract

Introduction: In Childcare Nursing Consultations, nurses monitor children's growth and development, an essential practice for health promotion and prevention. However, there are weaknesses in their implementation, such as gaps in records and deficits in the preventive assessment of important outcomes in childhood, such as obesity and malnutrition. Objective: To identify nurses' actions in childcare Nursing consultations in the Primary Care network of a municipality in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Methods: A qualitative and descriptive-exploratory study carried out with 9 nurses working in the Family Health Strategies of Primary Care in a municipality from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the inland of the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews between January and March 2021 and analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. Results: A total of 5 analysis and discussion categories emerged: welcoming for the bond; anthropometry and physical examination; child development surveillance; health education: caring attitude; and difficulties completing the children's health booklets. Conclusion: It was noticed that nurses are able to carry out a comprehensive assessment of children's health, permeating care through bonding, welcoming and health education. It is evidenced that there are deficiencies in completing the booklets and that the Nursing Process does not follow the expected structure, which may compromise care quality.