The true essence of nursing care lies in the relationship with others, assuming involvement and sharing. Playing is an important therapeutic tool enabling the reorganization of child's perception, in situations that appear to him as enhancers of anxiety and stress, such as illness and hospitalization. It also acts as a vehicle for the expression of feelings and emotions, making hospitalization more joyful, nourished with comfort and affection. Current practice assumes that the relationship of closeness and trust established between child and nurse, supported by the therapeutic action of the toy, contributes to the humanization and to the excellence of care, assuming, the Specialist Nurse in Child and Pediatric Health Nursing a preponderant role in the practical applicability of Therapeutic Play. This Report aims to reflect the process of personal and professional learning developed along the academic path and is assumed as an integrative instrument that, from a reflective perspective, it describes and critically analyzes the objectives and activities outlined, as well as the skills acquired for the provision of specialized care. It also aims to be a tool for understanding the professional practice dimension of the Specialist Nurse, which analyzes the philosophies of care and the nursing reference frameworks that should guide the specialized practice. Kolcaba's Theory of Comfort supported and conceptually guided action and decision making, allowing, through its assumptions, a grounded practice. A Scoping review defined the scientific content of this Report, reinforcing the importance of play in nursing care, as well as the fundamental contribution of research to the discipline of nursing. The use of an internship project methodology, specific to each context, allowed the drawing of specific objectives, as well as the activities to be developed, in order to pursue the proposed objectives, maintaining, across all contexts, the outlined general objectives. Thus, in the context of the internship at the Pediatric Emergency Service, a Therapeutic Play Kit was developed for which a Manual user and a Standard of procedure were elaborated. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, documents were drawn up with guidelines for caregivers, regarding the Kangaroo Method and the Prevention of respiratory infection, and, at the same time, a Thematic Manual on neuroprotective measures for the newborn, addresses to the nursing team, was produced, with a view standardizing and systematizing clinical practice based on the most recent theoretical references. In turn, in Medical Pediatrics Inpatient Service, I carried out a Thematic Dossier on Therapeutic play, with the purpose of supporting and promoting the applicability of playing in the daily care practice of nurses, and, concomitantly, the awareness of the therapeutic intentionality of which covers the thematic concept under study, in care of hospitalized children. The completion of this Report aims to demonstrate the results achieved through research, learning and experience gained, along the training path, which allowed the acquisition and development of specific skills of Specialist Nurse in Child and Pediatric Health Nursing.
| Date of Award | 29 Mar 2022 |
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| Original language | Portuguese |
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| Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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| Supervisor | Elisabete Nunes (Supervisor) |
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