Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Children with gastrostomy require specialised care, it is challenging for family members to provide safe care at home. Objectives: describe the home care practice of mothers for children with gastrostomy; analyze the strategies used by mothers to care for these children at home. Methodology: qualitative research, sensitive creative method, dynamics Body Knowlodge. Participants: 10 mothers of children who have gastrostomy. The empirical material was analyzed by Iramuteq® software. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee, Rio de Janeiro- Brasil. Results: showed two themes: First, “The Care for the Maintenance of Life carried out by Mothers of Children with gastrostomy at home”, presents the care with the tube, stoma and feeding, technological care and medication of the child with gastrostomy at home. Second, formed by “The Concrete Reality of Children with Gastrostomy and the Learning Process of Mothers for Home Care”, shows science and faith as support in coping with the care of children with gastrostomy, in the daily struggle to overcome limitations and social prejudices also in the teaching-learning process of nursing and family caregivers. Conclusion: Mothers embrace the technical care, which is not part of common and maternal knowledge, having to deal with technological aspects of a gastrostomy device thus generating an impact on personal life and family, providing them with all the care in relation to the maintenance and hygiene of the device as well as the administration of food and medication. These mothers found the strength to overcome all difficulties and daily challenges due to their faith in science and divinity. Implications for health professionals are to train mothers to care and support their children, value their faith and spirituality also strengthening their relationship with the health care network and the social support network.