SOCIAL Network of Informal Carers for PEOPLE with Stoma Intestinal

Health care can be developed by formal and informal caregivers. The unpaid care performed by family, friends, and neighbors is called the informal care or family care. Studies show the importance of family in establish of support to their members when they are sick. The binomial person with stoma and his family should be the focus of education initiatives in health care and specific care. Objective: To understand the role of informal caregivers of people with intestinal stoma. Methodology: exploratory-descriptive research. Subjects: Twelve people with stoma and thirty-six members of their social network. Data were collected between August 2007 and March 2008, with interviews, recorded and transcribed. Data analysis followed the sequence: codes identification , building category with support from Atlas-Ti software, and data interpretation. Research approved by the Ethics Committee in Human Research, number 128/2005. Results: Constructed four categories: "Who are the informal caregivers": are unpaid people, including family, friends, neighbors, and people in the community where they live, people who offered support. "What kind of care they receives": instrumental and psychological support. "Necessity of preparation for care: the experience stands out as a factor which influences the choice of who cares. “Being available at any time": reveals a close relationship and that can help overcome the lack of institutional support. Conclusion: Informal caregivers to deal with people with intestinal stoma require previous experience and attend needs such as exchanges bags and/or to empty bags, as well as providing psychological support.