Promoção da adaptação à hospitalização da criança/jovem e família

: intervenções de enfermagem

Abstract

During the children’s growth and development process the family system is often faced with a number of crisis-generating events, such as illness or the need of hospitalization. This can be a period of stress and anxiety for the child as well as for their family. Thus, it is essential to understand the experience of the hospitalization process and to map interventions with a view to reduce suffering and anxiety, prevent damage and increase positive effects. Adaptation is the primary concept of Roy's Adaptation Model, being a guiding principle for nursing practice and it means that the system can adjust itself to changes in the environment and affect it, at the same time. This report aims to critically analyze the journey of competency development, carried out through the master’s degree in Nursing and specialization in Pediatric Health, which includes practices in four different contexts. Moreover, it aims to communicate acquired and developed skills, along with the investigative result produced throughout. Throughout this formative journey, activities related to the promotion of child/youth and family’s adaptation to hospitalization were developed. In the context of primary health care these were developed through the use of anticipatory care, which includes a booklet on how to cope with fever and febrile seizures and a guide for parents to prepare, in case of ever being confronted with the need for child’s hospitalization. In the Emergency Department practice, the main focus was given to the admission of child / youth and family into to the ward, and it was developed a Guide to the Admission. This was aimed to prepare them and explain the rules of the department, according to the child's development state and to the parents’ psychological availability. In the context of the Neonatal Care Unit it was developed a Hope Diary, aiming to promote parents’ hope, as an intervention to promote hospitalization’s adaptation. Finally, in the Intensive Care Unit practice it was built a proposal for a Coping Kit. Inherent to the development of the activities described, the main competences developed during this journey were: "Communicate with the child and family using techniques appropriate to the age and stage of development", "forward anticipatory guidance to families to maximize the potential for child", "enables the child (...) and the family to adopt coping and adaptation strategies" and also "uses strategies that promote realistic hope” (Ordem dos Enfermeiros, 2018).

Date of Award	19 Dec 2019
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Zaida Charepe (Supervisor)