Characterization of children with special health care needsand caregivers in a teaching hospital

Objective: to characterize children with special health care needs admitted to a pediatric unit of a teaching hospital in relation to their clinical conditions, care demands and sociodemographic situation. Also, characterize the family caregivers of the children regarding their age and degree of relationship. Method: a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, conducted with 25 children with special health care needs admitted to the Pediatric Inpatient Unit of a teaching hospital. Data collection was performed using a form and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results:in the period, 44% of the children hospitalized had special health care needs. Regarding the demands of care, all have modified habits of usual care, 36% use some type of technology, 40% have demand for neuropsychomotor development, 92% follow-up with some health service and 80% are in continuous use of medication. Conclusion: this study provides data that can be used to support the development of strategies that reorient nursing care practice.