O conforto da criança-família

Abstract

This report was the result of a reflection of the activities and skills acquired throughout the Internship Course inserted in Nursing Master of Pediatrics and Child Health. The overall objective for the Internship Course was "to provide nursing care for the child/family according to the Theory of Comfort by Katharine Kolcaba within the functions attributed to EESIP . Comfort is bound to nursing since its inception. In the pediatric context in Portugal, nurses have been developing a more holistic view of the binomial child / family. It is essential to abandon the concept that comfort is only a measure of pain relief but something positive, dynamic and complex. Nursing as a discipline of knowledge and practice, should base their interventions on methodological procedures. Given the comfort and the resulting state of nursing interventions, the Theory of Comfort Katharine Kolcaba (1994) presents a defined taxonomic structure, which allows applying the concept. Over the three modules occurring in the context InteRNhip: Community (Education Center for Disabled Children and Care Unit Custom Alcantara) hospitalization of the child / family with chronic illness (in Unit Special Care and Nutrition, Hospital Dona Estefania) and child care / family emergency (ER Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Dona Estefania), was possible to demonstrate the applicability of this theory. Following a methodology, where used Surveys for gathering the needs and comfort of the child / family, along with a diagnosis of the situation of each location, all for shaping strategies in order to reach comfort as defined by Kolcaba. These results led to foster changes that sought to establish health-promoting behaviors in children and their family life. The promotion of comfort applied to child / family is an unselfish attitude, practical and satisfactory for those who are comforted and comfort, resulting in gains in health and contributing to the excellence of nursing care.

Date of Award	30 Dec 2011
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Lília Rosa Alexandre Vara (Supervisor)