RESUMO
Introduction: Migration to Western countries is associated with social and health challenges that are difficult to manage. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice that still occurs in the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization, FGM is a ritual procedure involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. Objectives: (I) To explore the experiences of women residing in the Canary Islands, in Spain, who had suffered FGM, and their assessment of the healthcare received. (II) To explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals who had attended to these cases, care pathways, and prevention. Methods: A qualitative study, phenomenologically oriented based on a pragmatic perspective, was conducted. We conducted open in-person interviews, and written documents were sent via email for data collection. Purposeful and snowball sampling methods were used to select women who had undergone FGM and healthcare providers who had attended to such patients. Nine participants were recruited, five health professionals and four women. Although the sample size was not very large, the data had enough depth and richness to meet the goals of the study. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. Results: Six main themes emerged, including the "meaning of FGM," "health consequences," "benefits of treatments," "knowledge about FGM," "experiences of professionals and with professionals," and "recommendations of professionals in improving care." Conclusions: Professionals and women identified the lack of training to address this problem, and both parties perceived FGM as a negative practice. The women lack knowledge about the relationship between some health problems they suffer and FGM, which poses a challenge for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, professionals need to know in detail all health conditions related to FGM to diagnose and treat these women more accurately. When affected women arrive in Western countries and receive correct information on the consequences of FGM, they are more likely to reject this practice. The identification of cases of FGM in women born in the Canary Islands urges the need to develop strategies to avoid such situations.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Female genital mutilation is present in 31 countries, affecting 200 million women and girls. Due to migratory movements, cases have been described in western countries which receive part of this immigration. Spain gets an important migratory flow from countries at risk, and the Canary Islands represents an important route of entry. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices about FGM among health professionals in the island of Tenerife. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study about the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices among health professionals in the Island of Tenerife was conducted based on an online questionnaire. Gynaecologists, family doctors, paediatricians, nurses, midwives and social workers were included in the study. Frequency and percentage were calculated to describe the nominal variables and mean ± standard deviation for the quantitative variables. For the statistical treatment of the data, the R software was used. RESULTS: 142 questionnaires were analysed. A total of 19.7% of the professionals surveyed responded that they had found a case during their professional practice, 19% claimed to have received training, 26.8% correctly recognized the typology and 15.5% the countries of prevalence. Only 6.3% claimed to know a specific protocol for action. CONCLUSIONS: There are cases of FGM in the Island of Tenerife. In general, the respondents show a lack of knowledge about the practice, its typology, the countries where it takes place, or the reasons why it is carried out. Specific training on the subject increased the rate of case detection and the knowledge of the practice.
OBJETIVO: La mutilación genital femenina está presente en 31 países, afectando a 200 millones de mujeres y niñas. Debido a los movimientos migratorios se han descrito casos en los países occidentales receptores de esta inmigración. España recibe un importante flujo migratorio procedente de países de riesgo, siendo las Islas Canarias una importante vía de entrada. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue evaluar los conocimientos, las actitudes y las prácticas sobre la MGF entre los profesionales de la salud en la isla de Tenerife. METODOS: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal acerca del nivel de conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas entre los profesionales sanitarios en la Isla de Tenerife a través de la difusión de una encuesta online. Se incluyeron en el estudio: ginecólogos, médicos de familia, pediatras, personal de enfermería, matronas y trabajadores sociales. Se calculó frecuencia y porcentaje para describir las variables nominales y media ± desviación típica para las variables cuantitativas. Para el tratamiento estadístico de los datos, se empleó el software R. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 142 cuestionarios. Un 19,7 % de los profesionales encuestados respondió que había encontrado algún caso durante su práctica profesional, un 19% afirmó haber recibido formación, un 26,8% reconoció correctamente la tipología y un 15,5 % los países de prevalencia. Sólo el 6,3% afirmó conocer algún protocolo específico de actuación. CONCLUSIONES: Existen casos de MGF en la Isla de Tenerife. En general, los encuestados muestran una falta de conocimiento sobre la práctica, su tipología, los países donde se realiza o las razones por las que se lleva a cabo. La formación específica sobre la materia aumentó la tasa de detección de casos y el conocimiento sobre la práctica.