O envolvimento do irmão saudável na prestação de cuidados ao irmão com doença crónica

: intervenção do enfermeiro especialista

Abstract

Throughout time, families face a variety of changes like the birth of a child, the death of a relative, the news of an illness, and more. This is why Child and Pediatric Health Nursing is here to support families during these tough times and help them overcome the different transitions of a patient. Through the Master’s Degree in Nursing, specializing in Child and Pediatric Health Nursing at the Catholic University of Portugal arises this report aiming to describe my formative journey. To this end will be described the objectives, activities developed throughout my various internships, and reflective analysis. My formative journey was upheld by Meleis’s transition theory as a theoretical approach to base my different objectives. This report is focused on the healthy sibling’s transition, based on the revision of the literature and projects drawn up in the different contexts of the internship. In announcing the illness, the family nucleus is going to suffer a variety of changes, and the healthy sibling will have to find strategies to face these adjustments. Living with a sibling having a chronic condition is considered a difficult stage for the other children, leaving them preoccupied about their sick sibling’s health. The relationship between siblings is essential in children’s development. The sibling’s illness is perceived as an “experience of suffering and distress”. To overcome this phase, healthy siblings need to find strategies to adapt the new rhythm of life the sibling illness requires. To this effect, siblings will need support from health professionals and from the parents, with the aim to be informed of the sick sibling’s situation, to then be able to participate in decisions and feel involved in the new routines and care provided to the ill brother or sister. Specialist Nurses in Infant and Pediatric Health have a fundamental role in the development of health-related skills, in this case, helping healthy siblings adapt to their brother or sister’s chronic illness, creating new habits to minimize his/her own development. Each internship context enabled me to develop specialized skills in the care of the child, teenager, and family, but also trying to understand the accompaniment of the transitions experienced by the brothers. The formative journey proves that the different activities developed allowed me to deepen my skills as a Specialist Nurse in Infant and Pediatric Health, but also common skills of the graduate level of studies.

Date of Award	27 Apr 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Elisabete Nunes (Supervisor)