The complexity of pain in hospitalized children and adolescents with cancer and the multiple dimensions of their care / "A complexidade da dor da criança e do adolescente com câncer hospitalizados e as múltiplas dimensões do seu cuidar"

AUTOR(ES)

Maria José Menossi

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2004

RESUMO

Pain is one of the main causes of human suffering, affecting people’s quality of life and reflecting in their physical and psychosocial condition. In children and adolescents with cancer, pain can either be caused by the disease itself, by the treatment or by the procedures and is reinforced by fear, anxiety and uncertainty. In view of the multiple dimensions involved in pain of children and adolescents with cancer, which characterize it as a complex phenomenon, this study aims to describe the experiences of health professionals in care for children and adolescents with cancer in pain situations during the hospitalization process and analyze them on the basis of some of Edgar Morin’s ideas of complexity. This qualitative research used interviews as a data collection instrument. Study participants were 16 professionals from the pediatric blood cancer health team of a school hospital in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. Empirical data point out that, although the professionals recognize the importance of pain evaluation, its operationalization is seen as a challenge. They point towards the limitations of using pain scales and highlight the basic importance of the pharmacological approach for pain coping. Participants show feelings of powerlessness, anguish and suffering in view of the pain situation of children and adolescents with cancer. They also disclose possibilities, such as the composition of fixed teams, integrated in an interdisciplinary service, and family involvement in care. Results also indicate the need to distinguish between multiple professional focuses and to establish a care unit that allows for the articulation of these focuses, so as to attend to the multiple pain dimensions of children and adolescents with cancer. With a view to the practicability of this care unit, we highlight the need for articulation between all professionals involved in care for pain situations in hospitalized children and adolescents with cancer, through a common and jointly constructed project.

ASSUNTO(S)

criança adolescente dor câncer equipe interdisciplinar de saúde enfermagem ped adolescent pain cancer patient care team pediatric nursing child

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