ABSTRACT
Objective
to understand the experience of family caregivers of children/adolescents assisted by the multidisciplinary team in home care.
Method
this is a qualitative study, with Symbolic Interactionism as a theoretical framework, carried out with nine families of children/adolescents in home care, assisted by a home care company located in São Paulo. Data were collected between April and October 2017, through semi-structured interviews, and submitted to qualitative analysis of conventional content.
Results
the subcategories Living in a constant state of alert and Taking a step forward to ensure safe and qualified care showed that family members give new meaning to care, showing themselves to be alert, in the sense of redirecting their actions to provide idealized care.
Conclusion
home care requires family members to face new challenges and difficult adaptations, in addition to the concern with safety and quality of care, leading them to develop strategies to deal with the situation.
Implications for practice
family members’ speeches signal the urgency of inserting the theme of pediatric home care in the agendas of academic debates and discussions, and its unfolding in investments by managers and home care services, in order to ensure a safe assistance to children/adolescents and their family.
Keywords:
Caregivers; Pediatric Nursing; Quality of Health Care; Patient Safety; Home Assistance Services