Spiritual needs of children and adolescents with chronic diseases hospitalized

• Grant number: 18/14369-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Lucila Castanheira Nascimento
• Grantee: Júlia Rezende Machado
• Home Institution: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (EERP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Children and adolescents search for spiritual support to reduce the suffering caused by the diagnosis of cancer, cystic fibrosis or diabetes mellitus. However, there is no research on the spiritual needs of children and adolescents with cancer, cystic fibrosis or diabetes mellitus. In addition, nurses find it difficult to identify the spiritual needs of pediatric patients, sometimes neglecting such care. This qualitative research aimed (1) to identify the spiritual needs of children and adolescents with hospitalized chronic diseases; and (2) to analyze how health care professionals attend children and adolescents' spiritual needs. It is a descriptive study based on the relational consciousness of the spirituality of the child framework and the concept of spiritual needs of Narayanasamy. The data will be collected with children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, cystic fibrosis or diabetes mellitus, aged 7 to 17 years, hospitalized in a pediatric unit of a public hospital in the interior of São Paulo state. The data will be collected through semi-structured interviews, supported by the use of photographs to stimulate communication with the participants. Transcripts will be subjected to inductive thematic analysis. This research has the approval of the institutional Human Research Ethics Committee and its results will have potential to contribute with nurses and other health professionals to support the identification of the spiritual needs of pediatric patients in order to provide spiritual care to improve coping with chronic disease.