OS DESAFIOS VIVENCIADOS PELO ENFERMEIRO OBSTETRA NO CUIDAR MULHERES COM MUTILAÇÃO GENITAL FEMININA: ESTUDO FENOMENOLÓGICO.

Introduction/Frame: Some migrant women living in Portugal who have undergone female genital mutilation pass on this legacy to their daughters for cultural reasons. In this context, it is imperative that nurses specialising in maternal health and obstetric nursing (henceforth referred to as obstetric nurses) contribute to eradicating this harmful traditional practice and protecting the girls of future generations; Research Question/Objectives: The guiding research question is “What experiences do obstetric nurses have when caring for women with female genital mutilation?” and the objective is “To understand the experiences of obstetric nurses when faced with the challenges of caring for women with female genital mutilation”; Methodology: This is a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study, based on the assumptions of Max van Manen, who defends the importance of understanding and interpreting human experiences for nursing practice. A phenomenological interview script was used to collect the data, and 12 participants were interviewed who met the following inclusion criteria: being an obstetric nurse who provides, or has provided, preventive care and has notified or referred cases of FGM; Results: Two categories stand out: “Constraints experienced by obstetric nurses when caring for women who have undergone genital mutilation” and “Proposals to be implemented by obstetric nurses to prevent, notify and intervene to eradicate female genital mutilation”; Final considerations: The conclusions show that preventive, notification and intervention practices still fall short of what would be desirable. There is an urgent need to invest in and intensify the training of health professionals in female genital mutilation, making them more aware and knowledgeable about this practice. Training these professionals will enable them to empower populations to change their mentalities, including communities where FGM is prevalent, with a view to eradicating it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]