Health education actions are present in several services and sectors of Pequeno Príncipe Hospital. As in the Outpatient Clinic for Rare Diseases, where the patient Anthony (photo) undergoes treatment for a rare metabolic disease: Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase deficiency. As he cannot eat a number of foods, nutritionist Ana Claudia Cruz dos Santos started using a memory game in the boy’s consultations.

Foods are drawn on green, yellow or red cards, indicating to the child which ones are permitted, moderate or prohibited for consumption. This contributes to prevent the patient from eating foods that are not allowed in his diet and that could put him at risk. “We understood that it is not enough to instruct parents and other caregivers. We need to enlighten the children, speaking in a language they understand,” highlights the nutritionist.

Other health education actions are also present in several sectors of the Hospital through the Humanization Sector, which has been implementing initiatives that aim to develop capabilities related to self-care, improving the relationship between caregivers and care teams and increasing the possibility of adherence to treatment. The work is based on the Brazilian National Humanization Policy, which has among its principles the autonomy and protagonism of individuals.

And you can learn more about this subject and also about the story of patient Anthony – and how the memory game is contributing to his health and quality of life – in the main article of the 2024 August edition of Pequeno Príncipe News.

In this newsletter edition, you will also check the articles below. Click on the links to read the full length texts.

• Pequeno Príncipe reaches the milestone of 500 bone marrow transplants. This great achievement is result of a lot of dedication, love, care and technical-scientific excellence of the Bone Marrow Transplantation (BTM) Service team. On average, 60 transplants are performed annually at the Pequeno Príncipe, around 30% of them are performed on babies, children and adolescents diagnosed with rare diseases. The institution is responsible for 12% of all pediatric BMTs performed in Brazil. Read more.
• Research seeks to develop new treatment for Alzheimer’s. The study developed at the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Research Institute – and conducted by researcher, neurologist and pediatrician Katherine Athayde Teixeira de Carvalho – obtained approval for financing of US$ 2.06 million from the Brazilian governmental agency Finep (Financier of Studies and Projects) to develop a new therapeutic approach for this disease. The project was one of those selected in Finep’s recent public call, coming in fifth place among the 204 entries. Learn more details about the research.
• Pequeno Príncipe Complex discusses culture of donation at the 3rd International Seminar on the Regulatory Framework for Civil Society Organizations (MROSC, in Portuguese). The aim was to discuss and seek advances in cooperation between civil society organizations (CSOs) and public administration in Brazil, boosting the country’s development. The event counted on rich spaces for discussions, that dealt with proposals to strengthen civil society participation in the execution of public policies, for example. Learn more here.