Therapeutic itinerary of children with special health care needs: analysis guided by care systems.

Objective: To understand the therapeutic itinerary taken by families in search of attention to their child's special health care needs in a Brazilian border town.

Method: Qualitative research based on dialectical hermeneutics and on the Health Care Systems model. Interviews and Talking Maps (Dynamics of Creativity and Sensitivity) were carried out with 19 caregivers of children with special health care needs, attended at care institutions in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, in 2020. For data analysis, thematic analysis was used.

Results: The fragilities of the Health Care System were highlighted, permeated by: difficulties in accessing the diagnosis and consultations; overload for care; (dis)organization of the care itinerary; and deconstruction of the bond, due to failures in communication and reception. Conclusion: The deconstruction of the therapeutic itinerary of children with special health care needs involved, above all, the professional context in the Health Care System, leading to the search for care in private services and in care institutions.