Promoção do conforto da criança/ do jovem e da sua família

: contributo do enfermeiro especialista

Abstract

This report was carried out as part of the Master Course in Nursing, in the area of Specialization in Child and Pediatric Health Nursing, aiming at a critical and reflexive analysis of the entire path given by the courses, that led to the acquisition of personal and specific skills of a Specialist Nurse in Child and Pediatric Health Nursing. The theme selected to be analyzed throughout this work is "The Promotion of Comfort of the Child and Family". The theoretical reference chosen to support this theme is Katharine Kolcaba's Theory of Comfort. Pediatric nursing care has undergone several transformations, namely in response to the specific needs of the child and his/her family. This evolution is due to research, which reveals that the health-disease processes represent a crisis situation for the child, which generates fear, anxiety and suffering. Child care has as its main premises being non-traumatic and family-centered. Comfort as therapeutic intentionality in nursing care should be implemented in all contexts of care, and it is fundamental to reflect on the importance of promoting the comfort of the child and his/her family in their various stages of development and in different care contexts. Throughout this report, the objectives outlined and the activities carried out at the different internship sites are presented and described in a reflective manner. In the internship carried out at Primary Healthcare Unit, it was possible to address the problem of pain in the child submitted to vaccination, namely the use of non pharmacological measures in the relief of it. These activities included a training session for the multidisciplinary team on the subject and the elaboration of a procedure rule on the use of glucose at 30% as a non-pharmacological measure of pain relief. In the internship at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit the physical dimension of comfort was developed through a training session to the team about the correct positioning of the newborn as a measure of comfort promotion and pain relief. In the internship at a Special Nutrition and Respiratory Care Unit, two kits were elaborated, the “Playing kit" and the “Non-pharmacological measures kit", as instruments to facilitate the work of the nursing team in pain relief and promotion of children's comfort. Finally, in the internship at Pediatric Emergency, the technique of correct physical restraint was approached as a measure of pain relief in the child in response to painful procedures, and a leaflet was made for the nursing team. According to each place of internship, the skills developed by the specialist nurse in the area of nursing care to the child/youngster and their family were described. The reflection on practice and the sharing of experiences and knowledge contributed to the acquisition and deepening of technical, ethical and relational skills, being fundamental to reinforce the importance of the role of the specialist nurse in the promotion of child/youngster and their family comfort.

Date of Award	19 Jul 2019
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Margarida Lourenço (Supervisor)