On the basic needs of an adolescent with a type I choledochal cyst: From dependence to independence

Abstract

Introduction: The Nursing Care Process (NCP) is the methodological tool that operationalizes Virginia Henderson's model as its theoretical and conceptual foundation. This case study describes the nursing care experience applied to an 18-year-old adolescent patient hospitalized in a pediatric liver transplant unit with a history of type I choledochal cyst and multiple episodes of recurrent cholangitis.

Development: A descriptive clinical case study with a qualitative approach was carried out to analyze the application of the NCP based on Virginia Henderson's philosophical proposal. The methodological design was structured according to the stages of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Each stage of the NCP was documented using nursing records, the medical history, and direct observation logbooks. The assessment guide based on Virginia Henderson's 14 fundamental needs was applied, and for the evaluation of functional dependence, the results were classified according to the Henderson Dependency Scale. The interventions were based on the patient's needs for safety and security, and rest and sleep.

Conclusions: Prioritizing the fundamental needs of safety and security, and rest and sleep, identified as significantly impaired in the patient, allowed for targeted nursing interventions aimed at controlling the infectious process, promoting surgical wound healing, and improving the quality of rest during hospitalization.