Nursing care for children with gastrostomy: integrative review

Objective: To analyze national and international scientific production on nursing care for children with gastrostomy. Method: Integrative review conducted in the databases Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO),Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) without temporal delimitation of publications. The following Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were used: gastrostomia/gastrostomy/cuidado da criança/children care/enfermagem/nursing. Twenty references were found in LILACS, four in SciELO, 116 in MEDLINE and 167 in CINAHL. The studies found in the LILACS and SciELO did not meet the inclusion criteria. Three articles were selected from MEDLINE and 02 from CINAHL; thus, 05 articles composed the sample of the study. Results: We observed that gastrostomy brought about satisfaction to caregivers despite post-surgery complications. Improvements brought about by the use of the device and reduction of complications related to feeding difficulties, weight gain, decreased vomiting, abdominal distention and fatigue of the patient throughout the day were mentioned. It was also noted that caregivers in the studies felt fear and insecurity at decision-making on the insertion of gastrostomy, showing that the information for the care of these patients was a common concern among them. Conclusion: The study allows us to conclude that the care provided by nurses to children with gastrostomy and family contributes to increase knowledge, thus facilitating decision-making during the management of the device. The use of educational technologies are to be highlighted as a strategy for promoting care during hospitalization and preparing parents to take care of the gastrostomy after hospital discharge. &nbsp