Editorial

EDITORIAL

The living process constitutes spaces for experience, reflecting the heterogeniety and complexity of each human being. It comprehends simplicity within a multiple diversity, which thus makes it complex and involves the continuous search for self-knolwedge, fulfillment, pleasure, and conquest of well-being.

At the same time that the living process fortifies, matures, and awakens the human dimension, it makes vulnerabilities, limitations, and risks inherent to the living human explicit. Living, therefore demands that we face situations full of felicity, sadness, insecurity, love, violence, conquest, fear, health, illness, and the entire gamut of emotions, feelings, and happenings which characterize human existence.

As it is a part of living, becoming ill is related to the loss of possibilities, liberties, and autonomy. It interrupts plans and movements, alters projects, and modifies social roles, many times without previous preparation given to those involved. But at the same time, it is possible to identify original forces, discover creative resources, transforming and full of vital force which may inspire a new beginning in the face of illness.

Nursing, upon caring for humans in their multiple and complex expressions, whether in the promotion of health or in illness situations, needs to be aligned with the health care context of its population. In this sense, chronic illnesses take a place of interest as part of human development in contemporary society. According to the World Health Organization Report (WHO), chronic diseases are currently responsible for more than 60% of the onus resulting from illness and disease in the world. In the year 2020 they will represent 80% of the load of illness and disease in developing countries. Given the necessity of prevention of these diseases and for developing long-term care for those who already suffer from them, a practice which integrates knowledge from diverse sciences and contemplates studies concerning the human being in its vital cycle becomes necessary. Beyond this, it is essential to expand from a perspective which includes biological, social, psychological, cultural, and environmental aspects of people, always considering the perspective of promoting healthy living, even for those who live with a chronic condition.

Attentive to this situation, the present edition of Texto & Contexto Nursing Journal contemplates articles which focus upon these chronic conditions, especially diabetes mellitus, cancer, stoma intestinal, AIDS, and leprosy. The last two illnesses were recently considered to be chronic by the WHO due to their persistence over a long period and the necessity for continued care.

This nursing and health care production is presented to you, readers, with the potential to stimulate reflection and flexible space for the development of care and assistance in health care in the human living process. This edition includes texts which span from birth to aging, passing through themes which involve care in abortion situations, the neonatal and infancy period, pregnancy, and delivery, in adolescence, adult life, and in growing old. The articles highlight the family context as an important part of human development.

This knowledge was generated through different approaches, presenting the expressions and values of their authors. They constitute the possibility for transforming practices, principally in the existing inter-relationships and the dialogue between knowledge and practices in specific fields. Therefore, the human living process - with its complex implications in social relationships, has led to a gamut of investigations and reflections.

We hope that the release of this new knowledge generated by investigation and the availability of theoretical reflection present in this edition provide a democratic debate and create possibilities for furthering care in Nursing and Health Care.

Betina Hörner Schlindwein Meirelles, PhD

Adjunct Professor of the Nursing Department and the Graduate Program in Nursing (PEN) of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil (UFSC). Vice-leader of the Nucleus for Nursing and Health Care Studies and Care for People with Chronic Disease Research Group (NUCRON)

Denise Guerreiro Vieira da Silva, PhD

Associate Professor of the Nursing Department and PEN/UFSC. Leader of NUCRON. National Council for Scientific and Technological Development Researcher (CNPq) - Productivity in 2 Research

REFERENCE

• ¹
  Organização Mundial da Saúde. Relatório Mundial. Cuidados inovadores para condições crônicas: componentes estruturais de ação. Brasília (DF): OMS, 2003.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  13 Apr 2009
• Date of issue
  Mar 2009