Estar na condição de familiar acompanhante: vivências de enfermeiros

Abstract

The hospital is an unknown place for the patient, where it is provided feelings of ambivalence. When the person needs hospital admission, the sick person looks for protection, security, and resolution for their health situation. However, at the same time, being hospitalized may trigger fear, insecurity, suffering and helplessness. In any individual, these conditions seem to reflect in its emotional state, because the from their environment, their people, their work and their family produced by itself, important consequences such as of loss autonomy (partial or total), and independence. A condition that may minimize this situation is the presence of family caregivers in the hospital. However, the sick adult does not have legal backing that allows for the presence of caregiver during their hospitalization. Thus, the sick adult is a hostage of the rules and routines of the institutions that according to the professional responsible may or may not benefit from the presence of family caregivers. The nurse is a professional who can promote the presence and participation of family in patient care, thus it is usually up to a nurse who decides which patient may have a companion, when there is no legal backing to ensure its permanence. Nurse often assumes the role of mediator in the relationship among staff, patient and family. Considering this context, the object of study is the experience of nurses in the condition of family companion in the hospital. The following research aims to describe the experience of nurses as family companions of a hospitalized patient and to analyze this and its possible impact on their professional performance. It is a qualitative descriptive and exploratory study. The research subjects were nine nurses who work at the University Hospital of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. For the collection and production of data it had been used the Creative and Sensitive Method, theorized by Cabral, through two meetings with Dynamics of creativity and sensitivity like "Sewing Stories." For the interpretation of the data, it had been applied French Discourse Analysis. From the data analysis has emerged two categories split into themes and subthemes. The results showed that nurses' professional knowledge at the time to be a family caregiver has created an ambiguity of feelings. As expressed negative feelings about having knowledge and knowing of the possible developments of the health condition of the patient, also feel relief in knowing that family members need to, before such a situation, provide help. In this sense, professional knowledge also helps in making-decision and claims for assistance. The fact that the nurse was working in the same institution in which the family was hospitalized provides several facilities as, to reconcile professional activity with the care provided to his family; flexibility in the process of admission and a special care for his family. The experience as a family companion reflected both in Professional life and in the personal lives of nurses. Some experienced circumstances led them to reassess their professional conduct.