Letramento em saúde de mães no gerenciamento de situações de urgência dos filhos com diabetes

This is a qualitative and descriptive study, carried out between 2018 and 2019, in an outpatient clinic and pediatric wards of a public university hospital in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, aiming to identify how Health Literacy helps mothers in the management of emergency situations of their children with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers aged between 25 and 44 years (mean=34.1 years; SD±6.5). The number of emergency situations experienced: more than 10 (n=1); between 5 and 10 (n=3); and less than 5 (n=6). The respondents’ children and adolescents were aged between 8 and 17 years (mean=12.2 years; SD±3.4) and time since diagnosis of T1D was between 3 months and 11 years (mean=4.1 years; SD ± 3.5). Four themes emerged: “ Getting information related to diabetes care ”; “ Understanding information about diabetes ”; “ Assessing emergency situations: recognizing and interpreting signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia ”; and “ Applying knowledge: conduct of mothers in an emergency situation ”. The skills on access and understanding were insufficient, but the mothers constantly evaluated their children and referral to hospitals during emergencies was frequent, in the applying knowledge competence. It is concluded that mothers' literacy is dynamic, since competences are used according to their experiences in urgent situations, so health professionals must consider this dynamism and the need to provide support and promote mothers’ health literacy.