Chronic conditions have been extremely relevant issues to consider when reflecting about the human living process. The purpose of this study was to understand how to care for children with Nephrotic Syndrome in nursing practice, focusing on the family. The families’ narratives were interpreted in this qualitative study based on the hermeneutic approach of Gadamer and Ricouer. The participants of this study were the families of children and adolescents with Nephrotic Syndrome who in 2004 attended the Pediatric Nephrology Service at the Júlio Müller University Hospital, in Cuiabá, Brazil. The discussions were grouped into three categories: Synthesis of the families, presented by means of their biographies, projects, personalities, and contexts; The trajectory of the child’s condition in the family; and the Care for the nephrotic child. These aspects reveal the points of view of the caregivers, family members and health professionals, as well as the care possibilities in view of the family arrangements and team limitations. Our conclusion is that dialogue is the first condition to understanding and to offering care.
Pediatric nursing; Nephrology; Child; Chronic disease; Family nursing