Challenges faced by nursing professionals in providing care to children

Abstract

Caring for autistic children is a challenge for every health professional, especially for nurses, who work directly in assisting the individual. Thus, it is important that the professional is prepared to deal with the different characteristics of the child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study aims to identify in the literature the challenges faced by nursing professionals in the care of autistic children. This is an integrative literature review, carried out between February and June 2023. Data collection was carried out by searching for scientific articles published in the last five years in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Pubmed and Bireme, via the Virtual Library in Health (VHL). Six articles were found that addressed different aspects of the theme. The importance of the Nursing team in offering care, reception and help to children and their families was observed, and this monitoring is essential, as it allows the early discovery of ASD. These patients are children who require specialized treatment, so it is essential that nurses have appropriate educational support to provide good care, evidenced by a humanized attitude, empathy and qualified listening to professionals. Empathy is a basic component of all therapeutic relationships and is part of quality patient care. It is necessary to promote strategies for professionals to dedicate themselves to seeking more knowledge on the subject in order to provide adequate and competent care to children.