A síndrome alcoólica fetal: atitudes e conhecimentos dos médicos de saúde da família de Aracaju (SE)

Abstract

The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a set of characteristics in children whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy and is considered the leading cause of identifiable mental retardation in the Western world. Its diagnosis is the presence of phenotypic changes and history of prenatal exposure to alcohol. The lack of knowledge about their diagnosis by health professionals, limits opportunities for prevention, early diagnosis and intervention. This paper aims to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals in primary care Aracaju/SE, related to maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Descriptive study was conducted by applying a questionnaire to physicians Family Health Srategy of Aracaju/SE. As for general knowledge, 65.5% reported that the SAF is identifiable and 56.4% claim to be easier recognize it at birth. 81.6% recognize the main features of this syndrome, 76.4% say they always ask about alcoholic intake and 16.4% possibly question, and 3.6% record information in the form of tests and 72.7% as question. About the recommendations on alcoholic intake during pregnancy, 3.6% said that the safe amount to the fetus is unknown and 87.3% reported that alcohol is not safe. Related to academic training and continuing education, 58.2% say that issues about the effects of alcohol were addressed during the graduation and 85.5% refer to not approach even in continuing education training offered by the municipality, indicating the need to address the theme in different stages of training.