The irreducible needs of children for development: a frame of reference to health care

Abstract

A comprehensive health care to children implies in caring for their development, by perceiving the needs based on a suitable reference to children's specificities. This theoretical study aimed to analyze the "irreducible needs of children" frame of reference, based on a child development theory. We performed a comparative analysis between the contents of children's irreducible needs and the components of the Bioecological Theory of Human Development. An extensive correspondence was verified among the components of the Bioecological Theory and the following essential needs: ongoing nurturing relationships; experiences tailored to individual differences; developmentally appropriate experiences; limit setting, structure and expectations; stable, supportive communities and cultural continuity. The need for physical protection, safety, and regulation is not explicit in the elements of the theory, although it is also verified in their definitions. We concluded that the irreducible needs' reference can support nurses in health care and in child development promotion.

Nursing diagnoses in primary health care consultations to newborns

“…The need for physical protection and safety of the child is the one that mostly corresponds to the biological aspects and it is the most generally observed in health actions. Several researches (10,15,17) highlight the identification of nursing diagnoses that are related to the need to offer protective environments against physical and physiological insults (7) , such as what was observed in this study, which matches newborns situation of absolute dependence on their caregivers regarding their physical and emotional well-being.…”

“…The authors define six sets of irreducible needs: ongoing nurturing relationships; physical protection, safety and regulation; experiences tailored to individual differences, developmentally appropriate experiences; limit setting, structure, and expectations; and stable, supportive communities, and cultural continuity. The choice of this frame of reference is justified by its fitness to child development process in a comprehensive perspective of human development, which considers the interactive processes of children with their environment (7) . As such reference was not elaborated in the perspective of nursing care, another text was used on a nursing care proposal according to the irreducible needs for this diagnosis classification (16) .…”

“…Nursing diagnoses that were related to the irreducible need for ongoing nurturing relationships, such as effective bonding and parent role, highlight that child health care implies to care for their development, understanding it as a phenomenon of continuity and change of biopsychological characteristics depending on reciprocal interaction processes of children with their context (7) . In this sense, a nursing consultation must strengthen families in the construction of their parenting, since, in the development process, children need positive interactions and proper care, performed by adults committed to their health and well-being (24) .…”

“…However, understanding newborns' needs also requires the support of theoretical references adequate to the specificities of the subject in development (7) . In this sense, Brazelton and Greenspan's benchmark of the irreducible needs of children (8)(9) can support the interpretation of diagnoses in order to capture the needs of newborns attended to in primary health care consultations.…”

“…In this sense, Brazelton and Greenspan's benchmark of the irreducible needs of children (8)(9) can support the interpretation of diagnoses in order to capture the needs of newborns attended to in primary health care consultations. The irreducible needs of children are the foundation to establish experiences and fundamental care around which families, education, care, social security, legal and health systems must organize themselves (7)(8)(9) .…”