Family changes due to the hospitalization of a child in a pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

The objective of study was to understand the changes/implications that occurs in a family after the hospitalization of a child in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). A descriptive study, with a qualitative approach. Data were collected in the period of March to June 2007, through semi-structured interviews carried out with 21 parents of children admitted in a PICU of a University Hospital located in the northwest area of Paraná State. The results showed the family, even when facing the hospitalization and the risk of death of a family member, as well as the separation of other family members from the mother who is keeping company to the sick child, tries to establish means to maintain united and to follow its routine. The study revealed the importance of the support to the relatives of a hospitalized child, as an essential part of the caring process, thus contributing to turn it indubitably humanized.