Drawing attention? Going through judgments regarding child and adolescent suicide attempts in emergency rooms from a professional perspective

Abstract

Objective: To understand the perceptions of the multidisciplinary team of an emergency department regarding the care of children and adolescents who have attempted suicide. Method: An exploratory-descriptive, qualitative study, in light of the Symbolic Interactionism theoretical framework. Thirteen professionals from the multidisciplinary team from two emergency rooms (children and adults) of a secondary hospital in São Paulo participated. Data were collected between August and September 2018 using semi-structured interviews, analyzed using thematic content analysis complemented by the IRAMUTEQ® software. Results: Two central categories emerged: Multidisciplinary team perceptions regarding attempted suicide care; and Multidisciplinary team perceptions regarding the possibilities for improving attempted suicide care. From these, professional perceptions of care, risk factors, emotional reactions, limitations of emergency rooms and strategies for improving practice were observed. Conclusion: Professionals perceived suicide attempt care from a biomedical and reductionist perspective, with an approach marked by stigma, judgment and lack of preparation.