Impact Of Incontinence On Healthcare Professionals: Highlighting The Imperative For Increased Awareness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25759/spmfr.511Keywords:
Urinary Incontinence, Fecal Incontinence, Health Personnel, TherapeuticsAbstract
Introdução: A incontinência urinária e anal são comuns, embora muitas vezes sub-diagnosticadas, devido ao estigma social associado. Este estudo tem como objetivo identificar a prevalência e o impacto da incontinência urinária e/ou anal nos Profissionais de Saúde Portugueses (PSP) e perceber se o estigma existente na população em geral é também comum neste grupo de profissionais.Métodos: Estudo transversal. Os dados foram obtidos através de um questionário online com o objetivo de caraterizar a incontinência entre os PSP que trabalham num Hospital Público. O inquérito incluiu questões sobre dados demográficos, características da incontinência e o seu impacto na qualidade de vida (QdV), bem como, sobre o tratamento e respetivo efeito, e a procura de cuidados médicos.
Resultados: Foram incluídos 133 PSP , com idade média de 39 anos; 46 (34,59%) referiram incontinência urinária, especialmente de esforço, e 7 (5,26%) referiram incontinência para gases, sendo que 5 destes tinham incontinência anal e urinária. Apenas 17 dos 48 PSP (35,42%) com sintomas de incontinência foram submetidos a tratamento médico, o que resultou numa melhoria média de 3,11 na QdV, (4,22 antes do tratamento versus 7,33 após o tratamento, p<0,001), na Escala Visual Analógica, em que 0 é a pior e 10 é a melhor QdV. Entre os que apresentavam sintomas, mas não procuraram assistência médica, o principal motivo citado foi a vergonha (67,7%).
Conclusão: Apesar de um número considerável de casos de incontinência, muitos PSP não procuram ajuda médica, mesmo considerando que interfere na qualidade de vida. No entanto, a maioria das pessoas que apresentam sintomas de incontinência considera importante a avaliação médica. Sugere-se estratégias para sensibilizar este grupo de profissionais, nomeadamente, através de sessões de formação ou palestras.
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