Avaliação e controle do absenteísmo às consultas da odontologia no programa saúde na escola

Abstract

Absenteeism of school children participating in the PSE is not an isolated event. The lack of dental consultations has motives that need to be studied together in order to intervene in order to reduce their rates. Objectives: to measure absenteeism in scheduling and treatment among schoolchildren in need of treatment; to evaluate the reasons of the responsible ones for the students for the non attendance in the scheduled appointment and to propose strategies for the confrontation of the absenteeism. Methodology: The study uses an analytical methodology descriptive of the results of the survey of the need for treatment and the follow up of the curative actions in the students, besides interviews using a semi - structured script with the mothers of schoolchildren analyzed under the descriptive qualitative aspect. Results: 47.4% of the patients required treatment. Of those who received the communication for scheduling only 32.98% made the markup. After the consultation, 75.52% attended. Of the students who attended the first consultation 43.55% were still undergoing treatment; 30.66% abandoned; and 25.78% had their treatment completed. Adding non-marking to non-attendance at the first visit and dropping out of treatment resulted in 85.31% of the students with clinical need who were absent from the consultations. The mothers revealed as main reasons for absenteeism those of socio-cultural background. Among them the difficulty of access to health information; the different perceptions of the need for treatment; neglect and disinterest; lack of time; urban violence; forgetfulness; not be able to miss work to get the child to the consultation; lack of accountability of those responsible; fear; difficulty in accessing the health unit; delay in scheduling appointments; service to meet all demand. Coping alternatives were suggested: increased participation of the community health agent; treatment performed at school; reduced waiting time for scheduling; more professionals in the service; electronic appointment reminder; increased health education actions for parents. Conclusions: The constant evaluation and control of health services is of fundamental importance for the organization of SUS. The phenomenon of absenteeism shows us the complexity of health relations. Sociocultural issues have a very important contribution, since they serve as the basis for building the individual definition of what the need for treatment is. How caregivers see health is crucial for deciding when to start treatment. Changing this paradigm is the key to achieving universal oral health based on health promotion, education and prevention.