OBJECTIVES: to describe the process of adaptation to the Brazilian context and the applicability of the "mistreatment" module in the Integrated Mana-gement of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy, based on the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) proposal. METHODS: the original protocol was translated into Portuguese, back-translated and reviewed by an independent observer. Features relating to legislation, the health context and the way Brazilian services are organized were incorporated. The materials were discussed by specialists from various areas until consensus was achieved with regard to the comprehensibility of the text and the correspondence between the wording and the intentions. The preliminary version was tested with a group of IMCI strategy monitors and suggestions arising from this were incorporated into the text. The final module was successfully applied during training of IMCI monitors in the Northeast region of the country. RESULTS: the material was found to be useful, clear and coherent. The ranking of degrees of severity of psychological mistreatment and negligence and texts providing guidelines for health workers and parents on the normal psychomotor and emotional deve-lopment of children were included. CONCLUSIONS: the incorporation of this module on mistreatment in the IMCI strategy's formal training sessions may fill a gap in the education of primary care health workers, who encounter problems relating to violence against children on a regular basis.
Child abuse; Domestic violence; Integrated Management of Childhood Illness; Guideline Adherence
