The social care network of a child with special health needs

Abstract

doi: 10.5216/ree.v15i2.17064 - http://dx.doi.org/10.5216/ree.v15i2.17064

ABSTRACT

The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the social care network of a child with special health needs. The study participants were the child’s grandparents, randomly selected from a prior study’s database. The Sensitive Creative Method was developed by means of the Talking Map Creativity and Sensitivity Dynamics, and then submitted to Discourse Analysis, according to the French School. The results showed that the child’s relatives have a fragmented but solidary social network comprised of secondary-level and tertiary-level heath services; that the technology-dependent child is ignored by the Unified Health System, as they are invisible in the primary health care network. It is concluded that the child’s relatives find support on services that provide care to the child, and the familiar network is limited to the closest relatives. Nursing should promote the creation of networks and improve accessibility to health care for these children.

Descriptors: Child Health; Pediatric Nursing; Chronic Disease; Child Care.