Competências

Abstract

Skills development enriches the ability of the nurse to intervene and promotes quality of care. Nurses, in the quest to enhance their skill set integrate learning processes and continuous training to enable them to meet the needs of the individual, its family and other significant individuals. The specialist nurse holds a repertoire of skills that are articulated, namely: instrumental skills; interpersonal skills and systemic skills that allow him to see the individual as a global being in interaction. This skill set is the basis for elaborating the theories developed during internship period. This report presents the nursing practices directed at the needs of the critically ill patients and their families, in the operating room and in an intensive care unit. From what was observed during the nursing practices, one could highlight a greater collaboration and involvement of the nursing team for family contribution during surgery. The clinical practices, because of their specificity, allowed the implementation of two different theories: in the operating room there was the need to use Peplau’s Interpersonal Relationships Theory as guidance when receiving patients; and Kolcaba’s Theory was used to analyze the therapeutic bath in the Burn Unit in order to conduct activities in the balneotherapy room. Applying these two nursing theories enriched and broadened the field of view regarding the intervention of nurses in these contexts. The nurse specialized in the medical-surgical critically ill patient has a prominent role in promoting and implementing a quality of care practice, either by using his specialized knowledge in patient’s illness or by specific skills that he has and that allow him to be aware of the needs of the individual.

Date of Award	20 Dec 2011
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marques da Gama (Supervisor)