ORIGINAL ARTICLE einstein. 2009; 7(1 Pt 1):18-23 Meaning of childcare and the nursing staff perception of the family Significado do cuidar da criança e a percepção da família para a equipe de enfermagem Marcia Carla Morete Pinto 1 , Daniela Gasparelli Camata 2 , Andrea de Campos Oliveira 3 , Denise Pourrat Dalge 4 , Ângela Tavares Paes 5 ABSTRACT Objective: This was a quantitative study aimed to describe the importance of caring for children and the nursing staff perception of the family. Methods: A total of 70 nursing professionals working at pediatrics units of a large private hospital participated in this research. Besides the assessment of their professional profiles, the respondents expressed their agreement or disagreement regarding 30 statements concerning childcare and family’s perception. Results: The results showed that the items with highest agreement were the aspects of care, the importance of knowledge and participation of the family in care of hospitalized children. The items with highest disagreement included the presence of parents, the influence of stressful situations on the professional’s safety and the ease of caring for children hospitalized for longer periods. It was also observed that professionals expressed doubts about the presence of parents, compliance with rules and routines and parents making decision about the treatment of their child. Conclusions: It was concluded that most of the statements addressed showed a high rate of agreement, thus evidencing the compliance with an institutional model of care. However, we should consider our role as a facilitator of childcare and family care by seeking strategies that bring attention focused on children and family. Keywords: Family; Nursing, team; Child, hospitalized; Nursing care; Humanization of assistance; Pediatric nursing RESUMO Objetivo: O presente estudo de natureza quantitativa tem como objetivo descrever o significado do cuidar da criança e a percepção da família para a equipe de enfermagem. Métodos: Participaram da pesquisa 70 profissionais de enfermagem que atuam em unidades de pediatria de um hospital privado de grande porte. Além do levantamento sobre o perfil profissional, os entrevistados manifestaram sua concordância ou discordância em relação a 30 afirmações sobre o cuidar da criança e a percepção da família. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que os itens em que houve maior concordância foram os aspectos ao cuidar, a importância do conhecimento e a participação da família no processo de cuidar da criança hospitalizada. Os itens com maior discordância foram questões sobre a presença dos pais, influência das situações de estresse sobre a segurança do profissional e facilidade ao cuidar de crianças hospitalizadas por mais tempo. Observou-se ainda que os profissionais manifestaram dúvidas quanto a presença dos pais, seguimento de normas e rotinas e a tomada de decisão dos pais no tratamento do seu filho. Conclusões: Pode-se concluir que a maioria das afirmativas abordadas demonstrou alto índice de concordância, evidenciando assim, seguimento de um modelo assistencial existente na instituição. No entanto, deve-se refletir sobre o nosso papel como membro facilitador do cuidado da criança e família, buscando estratégias que proporcionem uma atenção centrada na criança e família. Descritores: Família; Equipe de enfermagem; Criança hospitalizada; Cuidados de enfermagem; Humanização da assistência; Enfermagem pediátrica INTRODUCTION Up to the end of the 18 th century, hospitals were institutions to care for the poor and seen as a place to die. Hospital as a therapeutic instrument is a relatively new invention that appeared around 1780 (1) . However, only in 1959, with the release of the Platt report, in England, the need of parents’ participation in the care of their ill children was recognized. This paper led parents and healthcare professionals to discuss the hospitalization process (2) . Hospitalization is a stressful and traumatizing phenomenon during which the child faces several Study carried out at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein – HIAE, São Paulo (SP), Brasil. 1 Master degree in Development Disorders at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie;Nurse of the Pediatric Unit at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - HIAE, São Paulo (SP), Brazil. 2 Specialist in Transplantation at Faculdade de Enfermagem do Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein; Nurse of the Oncology Unit at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - HIAE, São Paulo (SP), Brasil. 3 Master degree in Development Disorders at Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie; Nurse of the Pediatric Unit at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - HIAE, São Paulo (SP), Brazil. 4 Specialist in Hospital Administration and Health System; Nurse Coordinator of Pediatric Intensive Care Center, Pediatric Admission Unit, Immunization Center, Specialized Pediatric Clinics and Medical Clinical and Surgery Unit – Pneumology and Chest Surgery at Hospital Albert Einstein - HIAE, São Paulo (SP), Brazil. 5 PhD, Statistician at Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein – IIEPAE, São Paulo (SP), Brazil. Corresponding author: Marcia Carla Morete Pinto – Rua Presidente Artur Bernardes, 23/72 – Embaré – CEP 11040-180 – Santos (SP), Brasil – Tel.: 13 3273 7009 – e-mail: marciamorete@uol.com.br Received on Sep 9, 2008 – Accepted on Jan 6, 2009