A place for children? Visits by minors to adults in intensive care units

• Autor(a) principal: Abreu, Mariana Cristina Rodrigues de
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Coutinho, Sílvia Maria Gonçalves, Fortes, Renata Costa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista JRG de Estudos Acadêmicos
• Texto Completo: http://revistajrg.com/index.php/jrg/article/view/515
• topic: unidades de terapia intensiva; visitas a pacientes; criança; relações profissional-família; humanização da assistência; intensive care units; visitors to patients; child; professional-family relations; humanization of assistance

Having a family member hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is an event with the potential to be traumatic for children, who may have difficulties understanding what is happening and dealing with the resulting feelings and concerns. The visitation of children to adult ICUs is a complex issue, with concerns about how the visit may affect their physical and emotional well-being and whether health professionals are prepared to deal with the situation. The objective of this systematic review is to present the literature of the last 10 years on the subject, highlighting the perceptions of those involved and the challenges encountered. Searches were carried out in the Scopus, SciELO, PubMED, LILACS and MEDLINE databases for original articles written in Portuguese or English and published between 2012 and 2022. After the screening process, 10 studies that met the eligibility criteria were identified. From them, a table was built with the summary of the main data of each article and a Thematic Analysis was carried out for the integration and interpretation of the information. The main results indicate that health professionals restrict children's visits to adult ICUs basing their arguments on personal beliefs and not on scientific evidence. Relatives of patients admitted to the ICU reported damage to the mental health of children when they were impeded from meeting the sick relative. A preparatory book for the visits was well evaluated by family members and professionals. As for the perception of the children themselves, it was identified that despite possible tension and fear touched on by the visits, they also bring positive feelings and relief from suffering. This study highlights the beneficial potential of children's visits to adult ICUs, the need to develop more resources and provide children with adequate preparations and follow-ups.