Percepção de dor pelo cuidador e funcionalidade de crianças com paralisia cerebral: série de casos

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurological dysfunction caused by a non progressive injury that occurs in the developing brain, which can lead to cognitive, communication, socialization, and movement alterations. OBJECTIVES: To identify the perception of pain in children with Cerebral Palsy by the caregiver and its relationship with functionality based on quantitative and qualitative aspects. METHOD: Observational study of the case series type. Interviews were conducted via the Google Meet platform or in person with the informal primary caregivers of children with CP, in which the following scales were applied: Motor Function Classification System - GMFCS, Inventory of Pain Behaviors in Neurological Disability (ICDDN), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory - PEDI and a five-question questionnaire prepared by the authors. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Five children participated in the study, four males and one female. Regarding the GMFCS, four of the five children presented a similar level (GMFCS IV and V) and one GMFCS II. The PEDI scores indicated a functional performance that was lower or close to the average of these children in carrying out activities of daily living, that is, a delay in the development of functional skills and the need for assistance from the caregiver were identified. Regarding the perception of pain, all children felt musculoskeletal pain, but caregivers of verbal children noticed pain more frequently than nonverbal ones. Pain, whether musculoskeletal or not, negatively interferes with the functionality of children with CP. CONCLUSION: There is a similarity in the functional profile of children with CP. Pain is present constantly, with musculoskeletal pain being more frequent. However, informal caregivers still have difficulty perceiving pain, especially in children with nonverbal communication. Therefore, the need to create public policies aimed at health education for caregivers and health professionals to enable this becomes clear.