[Impact of the Sign Language for pediatric patients with a tracheostomy]. / Impatto della lingua dei segni sulla comunicazione per i pazienti pediatrici con tracheostomia.

BACKGROUND: The lack of verbal communication due to the tracheostomy is a great challenge for nurses because communication is an essential aspect for caring, which also involves parental figures in pediatric patients. OBJECTIVES: Qualitative synthesis of the evidence to support learning and use of sign language in tracheostomised children in order to enhance the therapeutic relationship as well as communication between nurse and pediatric patient. METHOD: We conducted a narrative review, the following databases were interrogated: PubMed (Medline), Cinahl, Scopus, Cochrane and Google Scholar. Studies related to the research question were included, without temporal limitation. RESULTS: 43 articles were selected and were subsequently grouped in relation to the type of study, description of specific teaching programs and recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: The use of alternative communication techniques is a priority for nurses who take care of tracheostomised children. Among these, undoubtedly, the sign language reveals its efficiency.