The child coping with hospital procedures: strategies developed by health teams – integrative review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Hospitalization includes a period of negative experinces in a child's daily life, with significant value and repercussion in social and affective scope. One of the events faced by the child during the hospitalization period is when the child comes across the need to be submitted to procedures. OBJECTIVES: To identify studies that present strategies used by health teams that minimize emotional suffering of hospitalized children, that are submitted to invasive procedures. METHODS: It's an integrative literature review and 14 scientific articles available were selected from 2002 and 2016. RESULTS: The studies highlight the benefits of preparing hospitalized children for medical procedures, minimizing the negative effects of hospitalization. It is highlighted research about the use of the strategy of the Instructional Therapeutic Toy mostly by studies in areas of nursing and psicology. CONCLUSION: it's necessary the establishment of preparing programs for medical routine and cirurgic procedures in children's hospitals, and also greater engagement of health professionals on this topic, in order to support health teams and to give children the opportunity of understanding about this experience.