Resumen

BERNADA, Mercedes; MAS, Mariana  y  VAZQUEZ, Martín. Presencia de los padres en procedimientos médicos invasivos realizados a sus hijos: Opinión de profesionales uruguayos de la salud. Arch. Pediatr. Urug. [online]. 2013, vol.84, n.3, pp.193-204. ISSN 1688-1249.

Summary  Introduction: uruguayan parents wish to be present and their children wish to be accompanied during medical procedures. Objective: to know Uruguayan health professionals’ opinion regarding the presence of parents during performance of procedures carried out on their children. Methodology: anonymous survey, handed during the Uruguayan pediatrics congress, in August 2011. It included questions such as if they allowed, encouraged or considered the parents’ presence during procedures carried out in their children, and the rationale. Results: 171 responses; physicians 74%, nursing staff 26%. Presence allowed: venipuncture (VP): 88%; suture (S), 82%: spinal tap (LT), 45%: orotracheal intubation (OTI): 10% and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR): 10%; encouraged: VP: 79% , S: 76% , ST: 36%, OTI: 7% , CPR: 9%; considered convenient: VP: 91%, S: 88%, ST: 53%, OTI: 24%, CPR: 25%. Rationale: a) for allowing and encouraging: provide emotional support to the child and considering it’s their right and b) not to allow or encourage: the parents wouldn’t stand the situation; it would generate anxiety in the team. Regarding who should decide about the parents’ presence: 68% include the physician, 24% include the child. Discussion: the more invasive the procedures, the less the professionals allowed and encouraged parents’ participation; the children’s opinions were seldom taken into account. More than half of professionals received neither information nor training in children’s rights. Conclusions: it is necessary that professional educational institutions increase training on children rights and assertive communication with actively parents participation in children’s health assistance.

Palabras clave : MEDICAL PROCEDURES; CHILDREN ADVOCACY; PATIENT RIGHTS.