Relação do profissional enfermeiro com familiares de neonatos em unidades de terapia intensiva neonatal : revisão sistemática de literatura

Abstract

Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) were created in order to assist high-risk newborn babies (NB) due to the necessity of continuous life support through specific technologies and qualified professionals to conserve their lives and with positive health prognosis. For childcare, nursing professionals develop a higher level of connection with family members that demand some sort of relationship between professionals and companions. As a result, this study aimed to knowledge the national scientific data on the relationship of nurse-companions in neonatal intensive care units between 2006 and 2017. It is a study regarding a systematic literature review with a qualitative approach. For the data gathering, it was necessary to establish specific inclusion criteria, such as, qualitative, quantitative and both quantitative and qualitative research articles available through national online data banks, being complete and original versions in Portuguese published between 2006 and 2017. This study excluded those articles that were published outside the specific period, those in English or Spanish, duplicates, opinion articles, news and comment articles, incomplete publications and international studies. After thematic analysis of 11 elected articles, we were able to design three categories of analysis in order to better explore studies. By observing the relationship between professionals and family members, we were able to recognize how bonds between nurses and family members are established. These bonds are usually initiated through efficient reception and later active and harmonious communication. As support strategy for families, we can emphasize the opening of support groups that enable coping with such situations and also facilitate the acceptance and overcoming process by the families. Through both group and individual connections, we were able to recognize how social bonds between nursing professionals and family/companion are established and also which aspect enable and limit the development of humanized bonds. We can conclude that good relationship between families and nurses are indispensable and that many changes are necessary for the development of effective social bonds. Additionally, social and emotional support should be active in order to reinforce facilitating aspects and reduce limiting characteristics through exchanging experiences between families.