Sintomas osteomusculares em cuidadores informais de pacientes pediátricos internados em um hospital universitário

Resumo (EN)

Objective – To identify the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms in informal caregivers of long-stay pediatric patients in a university hospital in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The caregiver is every person who gives assistance to another person who was affected by a disability of varying degrees. Individuals who perform this function can present development anxiety, physical exhaustion, localized or irradiated pain or postural deficiencies with an increased risk of health damage. Methods – A cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative and observational study was carried out with informal caregivers of pediatric patients undergoing prolonged hospitalization in a university hospital of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, from December 2016 to March 2017. A Nordic questionnaire on musculoskeletal symptoms was used as a research tool. Results – Of the study participants 91.89% had one or more musculoskeletal symptoms in the last 12 months and 70.27% in the last seven days. Regarding the anatomical location of the musculoskeletal symptom related to the periods of the last twelve months and seven days, the lumbar region prevailed (89.18% and 86.48%, respectively), followed by the neck (56.75% and 51.35% , respectively) and shoulders (48.64% and 43.24%, respectively). Conclusion – the informal caregivers investigated presented a high occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms, and the most affected regions were the lumbar, neck and shoulders. We suggest studies with other designs as aspects such as working conditions and possible impacts on the quality of life of the caregivercan be evaluated.