O lúdico como recurso no preparo psicológico de cirurgias pediátricas.

Abstract

The need for surgical intervention added to hospitalization can trigger high levels of stress in children, making it difficult for them to adhere to treatment. In the psychological clinic, playful resources can help the professional to better understand the needs of children, enabling more assertive interventions. However, in hospitalization, the setting is the hospital environment itself with medications, health team, large movement of people and medical devices, which ends up limiting the use of play. In this context, the present study aimed to investigate the benefits of ludic intervention in the psychological preparation of pediatric surgeries. It is a field research, with a qualitative approach, of the descriptive type. The study was carried out at a reference pediatric hospital in the public health network in the State of Ceará, from October to November 2022. Semi-structured interviews were applied to 05 children between 07 and 11 years old, who underwent elective surgical procedures, accompanied by their respective mothers. The main results of the study pointed to difficulties in adapting to the hospital, doubts, fears and fantasies related to performing the surgery. The use of adaptive and coping playful resources based on the children's creativity was also evidenced, which, in turn, reported little or no playful intervention by professionals. Considering the therapeutic aspects of the bond with the health team throughout the treatment, in order to establish more effective communication and make this process less frightening for pediatric patients, it is concluded that it is necessary to develop multidisciplinary ludic interventions aimed at the psychological preparation of children undergoing surgery. Keywords: Pediatric Psychology. Hospitalization. Child Health. Playfulness. Elective surgical procedures.