Microcephaly Diagnosis: Maternal Perspectives About the Organization of the Health Care Network

Abstract

Objective: To understand the organization of the Health Care Network (Rede de Atenção à Saúde, RAS) from the experiences of mothers and family members in the assistance process for the diagnosis of microcephaly. Materials and methods: A descriptive and exploratory research study with a qualitative approach, conducted with 14 mothers of children with microcephaly. For the definition of the sample, the following inclusion criteria were listed: being a mother of a child diagnosed with microcephaly due to Zika Virus, having given birth, and being a resident of the municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Regarding the exclusion criterion, the following was specified: mothers who did not accept to participate in the study. The population of this research was defined in 2018. Minayo’s method of thematic content analysis was employed for data analysis. Results: The results were divided into the following categories: 1. Access to the services, exams, and professional monitoring; 2. Perception of the mothers about follow-up in the RAS. It was possible to apprehend the obstacles experienced in the RAS for the diagnosis and follow-up of children with congenital syndrome due to the Zika Virus. Conclusions: The difficulty of operationalizing the proposed protocol for the RAS was evidenced, either due to insufficient knowledge about the syndrome, making it impossible to maintain the organizational flow established by the protocol, or to the scarcity of hard technologies that assist in the implementation of this assistance.