Qualidade de vida na perspectiva de crianças dependentes de tecnologia em saúde

Abstract

Objective: general - to analyze the quality of life of children dependent on health technology; specific - characterize children dependent on health technology; measure the quality of life of these children; and to know the quality of life from the perspective of children dependent on health technology. Method: a mixed study, carried out in a pediatric inpatient unit and pediatric outpatient unit of a hospital in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul and in an Association of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional and pediatric outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital in the interior of the state. The study participants were selected from the inclusion criteria - children dependent on health technology and age between five and twelve years; and exclusion criteria - children unable to verbalize / express themselves. The collection took place in the period from March to September 2016, through three instruments: participant characterization, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 questionnaire, and semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed according to the steps of the analysis of mixed methods, and for the quantitative data, descriptive statistics were performed using the SPSS Statistics 18.0 program, and for the qualitative data, content analysis. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under CAAE number: 62695016.8.0000.5346 and opinions: 1,867,518 and 2,220,989. Results: 30 children participated in the study, nine of whom had their interviews analyzed. The children presented socioeconomic vulnerability, the characteristics of childbirth and birth corroborate with that of children with special health needs. The mean of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 revealed that the children had a median quality of life, which was analyzed according to each domain of the questionnaire (physical, emotional, social and school). Conclusions: the quality of life of children dependent on health technology was shown to be median, but knowing the child's perspective on their health condition was essential considering their specificities. Due to being a singular group it is suggested an evaluation that goes beyond quantitative instruments, being that the nursing plays an important educational role in front of these children and their families.