Olhar materno sobre o Teste do Pezinho

Abstract

The Guthrie test, together with the Ear, Little Eye, Little Tongue, and Little Heart tests, has vast relevance in the early diagnosis of possible disorders that may impair the growth of the newborn. Its main purpose is to detect infectious and genetic pathologies, known as innate errors of metabolism, which are asymptomatic at birth. In view of this issue, the present study aims to identify the perception of mothers about the Guthrie test. This is a descriptive-exploratory, cross-sectional study with a qualitative approach, whose setting was the Policlínica Luiz Santos Filhos, located in the city of Gurupi - TO. The target audience were postpartum women accompanied by their babies, who underwent the Guthrie Test. Data collection took place in the months of August and September of 2021, and ten postpartum women participated in the survey. It was observed that mothers consider the test important, but have superficial knowledge about the test, the family was not presented as a factor that influenced the performance of the test, education was presented as a factor that can contribute to the lack of knowledge and lack of knowledge about the pathologies screened for was evident and the place most cited as a place of information was the hospital environment. It is concluded that health education activities must be improved within the scope of primary care and the support network for pregnant women must be included in this awareness.

Keywords: Guthrie test. Perception. Mothers. Newborn Screening. Health Education