Chronic kidney disease is a condition that
causes various demands on the patient, because
it jeopardizes the physical and psychological
aspects and has personal, family and social
impacts(1). An integral and humanized care by
health professionals that meets these demands,
specifically for teenagers inserted into dialysis
treatment, is necessary on a daily basis.
The disease results from the progressive,
irreversible and generally slow loss of renal
function, which leads patients to undergo replacement
therapies. This is a serious public health
problem, because the prevalence of people in
dialysis programs has increased significantly in
recent years, and the tendency is for this to rise
even further. In Brazil, approximately 21,000
patients a year need to undergo renal replacement
therapy, which may occur by means of
hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis(2,3).
In adolescence, body change is very important,
not only in terms of physiology, but also in
relation to what it now represents in the eyes
of society(4).
In addition to the biological and subjective
changes that generate conflicts, this phase
can be even more difficult if a disease such as
chronic renal failure (CRF), which results in many
restrictions and changes in lifestyle, as a result
of the disease and its treatment, is added to the
equation(2).
In practice, it is observed that people in this
age group complain about the disease as something
that disrupts their lives, often resulting in
maladjustments in their personal and family life.
In addition to the reported physical damage, losses
related to social and psychological aspects,
which should be valued, are also referred to(5).
Advancements in the scientific process
of diagnosis and therapy are factors that have
contributed to changes in the health care paradigm
- previously focused on the treatment
of severe acute diseases, it is now also aimed at
care, seeking the best prognosis and quality of
life for individuals with chronic diseases(1,6).
Traditionally, care services for people who
suffer from chronic diseases are developed
through a routine that begins with the diagnosis,
the definition of a treatment and monitoring to
evaluate whether any adjustments are necessary.
This model of care also needs to appreciate and
address what it means to each individual having
such a pathological condition(1). The meaning that
each individual attributes to it requires the use of
new care technologies, making the insertion of
soft technologies necessary, in a context dominated
by hard and soft-hard technology.
Technologies are classified as soft when it
comes to relationships and hosting; as soft-hard
when we refer to structured knowledge, as in
the nursing process; and hard when they involve
technological equipment and standards(7).
The idea of technology should not only be
linked to equipment (a fact quite evident when
it comes to CRF, in which the approach is mainly
directed to the use of “hard” technology (dialysis
machines, standards and generalized routines)),
since aspects such as the production of shared
knowledge, the shared responsibility of people
in relation to care, the emotional approach,
hosting, a more comprehensive professional
involvement and an individualized, holistic and
humanized perception of these people.
In the health field, although technology
categories are interrelated, the logic of the work
that is expressed in terms of the equipment and
structured knowledge should not prevail; rather,
human beings need relationship technologies,
production of knowledge, communication,
hosting, bonds and empowerment, which are
known as “soft technologies”(8).
Based on the above, it is considered that
the use of soft technology in nursing care aimed
87
Ramos IC, Cavalcante LP, Braga VAB, Aguiar MIF, Cavalcante MBPT. Existential workshops: soft technology in nursing care
for adolescents on hemodialysis. Online braz j nurs [internet] 2015 Mar [cited year month day]; 14 (1):85-94. Available
from: http://www.objnursing.uff.br/index.php/nursing/article/view/5052
at adolescents on hemodialysis may favor humanization,
because it includes aspects related
to bonding, comforting and self-expression.
From the moment teenagers suffering from CRF
have the opportunity to express their problems,
conflicts, emotions and expectations through
this technique (represented by experiential
workshops and expressive techniques), it is considered
that they will be better able to deal with
the demands associated with being chronic renal
patients, while going through their teenage
years, which is an important development phase.
In this context, this study is relevant in
regard to contributing to measures that result
in humanization, and thus may favor physical
and mental health and promote the quality of
life of these adolescents. Therefore, the objective
of this study is to describe the experiential
workshops as soft technology and evaluate the
use of this technique in nursing care aimed at
adolescents with chronic renal failure undergoing
hemodialysis.