Experiencia de cuidado de cuidadores y niños entre 12 y 17 años brindado por personal de salud durante la hospitalización en cuidado intensivo pediátrico

Abstract
Introduction
Caring for children hospitalized in Pediatric Intensive Care Units is a complex and multidimensional process. This process includes specialized care, as well as emotional and psychological support for both patients and their caregivers. These caregivers play an essential role in the hospitalization experience, facing a range of emotions due to the severity of the children's illness and the connotations of being hospitalized.
Objective
Describe the caregiving experience of caregivers and children between the ages of 12 and 17 provided by healthcare personnel during hospitalization in the unit at an institution in Bogotá in 2023.
Methodology
Qualitative study with a phenomenological design, using in-depth semi-structured interviews with caregivers and children hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit in Bogotá in 2023.
Results
Twenty-seven interviews were conducted to achieve data saturation. Most of the caregivers were women. The predominant socioeconomic status was 3 and the educational level was high school. Four categories and thirteen subcategories were identified: Environment and dynamics, interaction with healthcare personnel, recognition of healthcare personnel, and feelings and experience upon admission to the unit.
Conclusion
Nurses working in Pediatric Intensive Care Units play a fundamental role, as they are in constant contact with children and their caregivers, who often experience high levels of anxiety and fear due to the seriousness of the environment. To provide comprehensive and humanized care, it is essential that these professionals have specific scientific knowledge about children's health, as well as disciplinary skills to guide their interventions. In this way, they contribute to the child's recovery and the creation of a more humane care environment, even in a highly technical context.