By gaining knowledge and further understanding about valid coping strategies during chemotherapy treatment, health professionals can mobilize personal and material resources from the children, health teams, and institutions aiming to potentiate the use of these strategies to make treatments the least traumatic.

Children are considered competent social actors. Although they are able to express their opinions, they may have some difficulties in answering direct verbal questions, requiring researchers and health professionals to enter their world by using auxiliary resources for communication. This study presents the experience of using finger puppets as a playful strategy for improving interaction and communication with hospitalized children with cancer, aged seven to 12. It describes the strategy of making and using puppets as an auxiliary tool to communicate with children with cancer and presents the results and limitations of using puppets in clinical practice. The use of the puppets, creatively and in accordance with the children's motor, cognitive, and emotional development, showed benefits, such as allowing the children to freely express themselves; respecting their autonomy; and minimizing the hierarchical adult-child relationship. The use of puppets is an appropriate strategy to communicate with hospitalized children. This tool can also enrich clinical practice, as it encourages children with cancer to report their experience of being ill and also helps the health team during evaluation and intervention.

RESUMENEl estudio objetivó identificar las evidencias disponibles en la literatura que aborden, en la perspectiva infantil, los factores relevantes para el manejo adecuado de la diabetes mellitus tipo 1. Se realizó revisión integradora en bases de datos PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, CUIDEN y PsycINFO, con los descriptores diabetes mellitus tipo 1, niño, prevención y control, factores desencadenantes, emergencias, autocuidado, aprendizaje y educación en salud, en período 1998 a 2008. Del total, se seleccionaron 19, su aná-lisis permitió identificar las categorías: viviendo con la diabetes; autocuidado y perfil glucémico; actuación de la familia, amigos y profesionales de saludo; y escuela. Las evidencias determinan que el niño aprecia el apoyo recibido por sus familiares, los cuales tienen relación directa con la preparación para el autocuidado. Otros miembros externos a su red también son valorizados. La escuela merece atención, así como la experiencia particular de cada niño y la educación en salud. DESCRIPTORESDiabetes mellitus tipo 1 Niño Enfermería pediátrica Autocuidado Educación en salud