ABSTRACT
Human needs can be considered as a framework for nursing care. The purpose of this study was to find out which human needs are relevant to nursing critically ill children. Yura and Walsh (1983) listed 35 basic human needs and their classification was used in this study. The shifting emphasis of the human needs of 30 children after open-heart surgery was compared during the operation day, the middle day and the last day in intensive care. The results were classified in six groups, depending on how the emphasis of the needs varied and how well the nurses were able to evaluate the human needs. The need for rest and leisure was the only need that became strongly emphasised during the whole period of intensive care. Some of the human needs became emphasised at the beginning or at the end of intensive care and some of the needs did not become emphasised at all in intensive care. Nurses were not able to assess some of the human needs. This study can be used as a pilot study for further research when trying to find out why certain needs become emphasised in critically ill children and how the needs can be met more effectively.
