26^th World Nursing Healthcare Conference

Biography

Biography: Sebahat Altundag

Abstract

As a specialty branch of the nursing profession, pediatric nursing requires theoretical knowledge and skills about every aspect of child health. The nurse should be able to use verbal and non-verbal communication techniques considering the age and development levels while giving care to the child. Traumatized individuals can have difficulty in expressing their emotions verbally for various reasons. The non-verbal expression can be revealed through a method involving art. Science and art can be used in nursing for the benefit of patients. The pediatric nurse should know that a child should be given family-centered care and that s/he should be able to turn to verbal and non-verbal communication techniques according to the child's age and developmental level. Nurses can use drawing method especially when communicating with children. Because the child does not fully understand everything related to his/her disease due to his/her developmental characteristics, s/he can fill the gaps in his mind with fantasies. The child has little knowledge of why s/he is sick or hospitalized. S/he supplies information about his/her inner world through drawing. Children usually draw a picture of what is most important to them. They can transfer various feelings such as love, unhappiness, jealousy, and anger to the drawing. They can also make definitions and descriptions through drawing. Since drawing is an activity that is perceived as an easy game for the child, it gives the opportunity to reveal the knowledge about him/her with all his/her naturalness.Therefore, it is recommended that drawing as a projective method should be utilized in children. The fact that the majority of children like drawing facilitates the use of this technique.