Atendimento a crianças na primeira infância com atraso no desenvolvimento na Atenção Primária à Saúde: potencialidades e fragilidades sob a ótica dos pais

Abstract

Early childhood (from birth to six years) is a crucial phase for a child's integral development, where adequate stimuli generate lasting benefits. Within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), this monitoring is carried out through puericulture, a service structured in Basic Health Units (UBS) to monitor growth, promote health, and prevent health problems. Based on the demands identified in this segment, specifically in cases of developmental delay, the Child Growth and Development Center (NCDI) was implemented in the municipality of Caucaia, Ceará, in August 2023, with care provided by a multidisciplinary team linked to the Family Health Strategy (ESF). We highlight that this service has also been offered in the municipality of Fortaleza since December 2018 under the name of Child Development Center (NDI). With the implementation of this new service, the need arose to evaluate how users perceive the gains in the development of children who receive this follow-up. The research took place from August to December 2025 and adopted a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews to assess the perception of parents or guardians of children attended at the NCDI regarding the service provided for at least six months. The collected data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, as proposed by Bardin (2011), with the aim of identifying thematic categories that reflect the participants' perceptions and experiences. The analysis sought to understand how parents evaluate the quality of the care received, identify gaps or challenges faced in the follow-up process, and propose improvements for the service. Based on the data analysis, the results of this research demonstrated positive effects, recording relevant perceived improvements in the child development of the participating children. The findings also contributed to the improvement of professional practices, indicating paths for more effective and humanized action in child health. The study thus provided concrete subsidies for strengthening the Child Growth and Development Center (NCDI), fostering continuous improvement in the care offered to children with developmental delays and their families. As a product derived from the investigation and in response to demands identified by the participants themselves, a guidance booklet was prepared for parents and caregivers, aiming to fill informational gaps and consolidate suggestions for service improvement. From the participants' perspective, the NCDI emerges as a promising strategy in Primary Health Care (PHC), and its continuous improvement should be encouraged through educational actions, such as those proposed in this work.