Social net and family social support in the following of the preterm newborn and of low birth weight

Abstract

One of the connected aspects to the occurred of the preterm (PT) newborn and of low birth weight (LBW) is relative to the period after the discharge from hospital. This study aims to identify the social net and the social support of families where children were born prematurely and were hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), from the utilization of the genogram and ecomap instruments with families from Cascavel city. It is a descriptive study, with qualitative approach; we carry out the following of six families that had the PT/LBW children in the NICU by family’s appointments during the hospitalization and of seven home visits after child discharge in the three first months after hospital discharge. The facts were grouped about three subjects: The social net as the member of the PT and BPN segment in the family context; the social support in the experiences of the families with babies PT and BPN; the vulnerability and the context of the net and of the social support. It emerged an assembly of actors and settings that they are part of the net connection to the families in their routine. The action of the nursing earns more sense with the knowledge of the net that provides integration between practical knowledge and technical knowledge.

Descriptors: Newborn; Child care; Social support; Community Health Nursing.