Implementing family-centred care: an exploration of the beliefs and practices of paediatric nurses.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored paediatric nurses' perceptions of how they include and involve parents in the care of hospitalised children. DESIGN: This qualitative study used individual unstructured interviews to gather data, the data was analysed using thematic coding. SETTING: Paediatric wards within two regional area health services of New South Wales, Australia. SUBJECTS: Fourteen paediatric nurses were asked to describe their beliefs and practices regarding the clinical application of family-centred care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Paediatric nurses' beliefs and practices about family-centred care were explored in an effort to explain how the concept was implemented. RESULTS: The findings are presented as four interconnected themes. The first describes how participants either allocated tasks to parents or retained them, the second relates to the nurses' professional identity, the third theme identifies barriers and constraints to the implementation of family-centred care, while the fourth describes the nurses' beliefs about their responsibilities when delivering family-centred care. CONCLUSIONS: Together these findings suggest that while nurses endorse the concept of family-centred care, the implementation into practice is more problematic. While it is not possible to generalise these findings to other paediatric nurses, the authors believe the insight gained will resonate with paediatric nurses internationally. The findings from this study are being used as the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines to assist paediatric nurses to more consistently apply the concepts of family-centred care to their practice.     

Hospital care of children in four countries

BACKGROUND: While perceptions of parents and staff about care of hospitalized children have been explored in developed countries, little research has examined these in developing countries. Assumptions about family-centred care are often based on Western values, with little evidence of how cultural constructs affect care delivery in developing nations. AIM: This paper reports a study to provide evidence from which culturally-appropriate hospital care for children can be delivered. METHODS: Using a rigorously devised and trialed questionnaire, attitudes of staff and parents about the way children are cared for in children's hospitals in four countries were examined and subjected to a four way analysis: parents and staff within and between developed and developing countries. RESULTS: There were no questions where all parents and staff in both developed and developing country groups were in complete agreement. However, there was some indication that, while culture plays a major role in paediatric care delivery, basic concepts of family-centred care are similar. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are limited by the sampling strategy. Nevertheless, while differences were found between parents' and staff's expectations of the delivery of care to children in hospitals, similarities existed and the influence of culture cannot be ignored. Education programmes for staff and parents should reflect these influences to ensure the optimum delivery of family-centred care, regardless of where the hospital is situated.     

Association between nurse staffing levels and rotavirus infection in neonatal intensive care units: A retrospective observational study

ObjectivesTo explore the relationship between nurse staffing levels and rotavirus infection in neonatal intensive care units.Research MethodologyThis study adopted a retrospective observational design with data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (2018) database in South Korea. Participants were 35,308 infants in neonatal intensive care units. Multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the association between nurse staffing levels and rotavirus infection in neonatal intensive care units after adjusting for confounding variables such as patient and hospital-related characteristics.ResultsA total of 1,514 (4.3%) infants developed rotavirus infection. Among the confounding variables, infectious disease, and being admitted from January to March and in December significantly increased the risk of rotavirus infection, whereas low birth weight, cardiovascular disorders, neonatal jaundice, receiving breastmilk, central line insertion, and ventilator usage significantly decreased the risk. Neonatal intensive care units with a grade 5 nurse staffing level (compared with grades 1–4) had a higher risk of rotavirus infection.ConclusionsThe results suggest that neonatal intensive care units with higher (vs lower) nurse staffing levels are associated with lower rotavirus infection rates among infants. High-risk infants are extremely susceptible to hospital-acquired infections, and more intensive nursing care that differs from that provided to adult or paediatric patients is required. Therefore, nurse staffing levels with less than a 2:1 patient-to-nurse ratio are needed to control and prevent rotavirus infection in neonatal intensive care units.     

Mutual trust in infant care: the nurses and mothers experiences

The relationship between healthcare providers and parents of infants in neonatal intensive care unit is based on trust and constitutes a core measure of family-centred care and health. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore mothers and nurses experiences of trust in one another around the caregiving of the hospitalised infant in intensive neonatal care unit. Focused ethnographic research study conducted through observations and in-depth interviews with 20 mothers and 16 nurses in NICU of Tabriz (Iran) in 2017. Two main themes of ‘gradual and fragile trust of mother-to-nurse’ (subthemes: Primary trust-mistrust, mother's trust to responsible nurse, mother trust Increase with skilful nurse performance, and vulnerability to trust) and ‘gradual and fragile trust of nurse-to-mother’ (subthemes: Nurse's initial assessment of trust to mother's readiness to participate, Development of trust to mother, and vulnerability of nurse's trust to mother) were obtained. The present study revealed that mutual trust between the nurse and the mother in the care of the infant was a gradual and progressive process that was achieved over time. Complexities around the care of a hospitalised infant influenced how fragile or vulnerable the trust became between nurse and mother. Findings from this research can be used in supporting increased maternal participation in infant care and improvement of family-centred care in the neonatal intensive care unit.     

South Auckland community paediatric nursing service: a framework for evaluation

This paper describes the Kidz First paediatric community homecare nursing team in South Auckland. While the service was not initially planned as an integrated approach to child health, its evolution reflects the move to more community based care delivery and the expansion of nurse-led initiatives in New Zealand. The components of a community paediatric home nursing team as described by Eaton (2000) are used to provide the framework with which to describe the service. A focus group held with the Kidz First paediatric community homecare nurses has enabled definition of the key nursing components provided to children and their families living in South Auckland.     

Putting families at the heart of their baby's care

Bliss is the UK's leading charity for babies born premature or sick, this paper explores the vital role of Bliss in supporting babies born premature or sick and in particular, the role Bliss plays in promoting family-centred care. The philosophy and benefits of family-centred care are well recognised yet there are still some barriers to implementing family-centred care in a neonatal setting. Bliss developed the Bliss Baby Charter in 2009 to standardise high quality family-centred care across the UK. This paper will discuss the principles of the Bliss Baby Charter and explore the emerging model of Family Integrated care and its relationship to family-centred care.     

Paediatric nurses’ perceptions and practices of family-centred care in Saudi hospitals: A mixed methods study

BackgroundFamily-centred care is widely accepted as the underlying philosophy of paediatric nursing. Studies of family-centred care have mainly been conducted in western countries and little is known of its practice in other contexts. No studies have been undertaken in the Middle East.AimTo explore family-centred care in the Saudi context from the perspectives of paediatric nurses.DesignA mixed methodology was utilised with an explanatory sequential design. In the quantitative phase a convenience sample of 234 nurses from six hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia completed the Family Centred Care Questionnaire. The qualitative phase took place in one hospital and involved 140 h of non-participant observation of paediatric nurses’ practice. A convenience sample of 14 nurses was involved. Additionally, 10 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with key staff members. A purposeful sample of 10 nurses was involved. The findings from both phases were integrated in the final analysis.ResultsThe survey results indicated that participants identified most elements of family-centred care as necessary for its practice. They were less likely to incorporate them into their practice (p < 0.001, paired t-tests, all subscales). These findings were supported by the observation data, which revealed that, while several elements of family-centred care were frequently practised, others were implemented either inconsistently or not at all. Findings from the interview data indicated that participants had limited and superficial understanding of what family-centred care means as a model of care; rather, they worked with the elements as a set of core tasks. In the current study, there were similarities between what has been found in the Saudi context and findings from other studies using the same tool in western contexts. There is general agreement regarding the differences between theory and practice. Nurses do believe and acknowledge the importance of family-centred care; however, they struggle with practising this model in their everyday work. In the current study, many factors contributed to this issue, including language barriers, communication issues, cultural issues and hospital policies.ConclusionWestern concepts of family-centred care appear to be accepted by paediatric nurses in Saudi Arabia. However, full adoption of family-centred care in keeping with western values is likely not to be appropriate or successful in the Saudi context where both nurses and families have a non-western culture. The western model of family-centred care requires cultural modification and further development to fit Saudi and Middle Eastern cultures.     

Pushing boundaries in paediatric intensive care: training as a paediatric retrieval nurse practitioner

Traditionally in the UK, the transportation of the critically ill child to a paediatric intensive care unit has been carried out by a medically led team of doctors and nurses. However, in countries such as the USA and Canada, appropriately trained nurse practitioners have proven to be competent in the transportation of these vulnerable children. This nurse-led team model has also been shown to be successful in the speciality of neonatal care in the UK. The impact of changes in the National Health Service (NHS) has led to an increased demand for the transportation of the child requiring paediatric intensive or high-dependency care, the lifting of restrictions on nursing practice and the reduction of doctors' hours in keeping with the European Working Time Directive. This has led to one NHS Trust in the UK developing the role of paediatric retrieval nurse practitioners (RNP): nurses who lead the retrieval team. The purpose of this article is to describe a pilot initiative to develop the role of RNPs. The comprehensive process of recruitment, training and assessment of competency will be detailed. Personal reflection on the project will also explore the pertinent nursing issues around; role impact and definition, conflict and change management, communication, legislation and personal and professional growth. Recommendations for future initiatives will also be explored.     

Evaluating a family-centred intervention for infant sleep problems

AIM: This paper reports a study to describe changes in parents' distress after a family-centred intervention for sleep problems of infants. BACKGROUND: Infant sleep problems are common and are related to depressive symptoms in mothers, but their impact on fathers has rarely been studied. Because childhood sleep problems and parental distress are associated, their interdependence should be recognized in research and in paediatric sleep practice. METHODS: All children hospitalized for sleep problems in a hospital in Iceland in 1997-1998 and their parents were studied using a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 33 infants (6-23 months of age), 33 mothers and 30 fathers. Parents' distress was assessed before and after treatment with regard to: (1) fatigue and resulting symptom distress; (2) parenting stress; (3) state-anxiety; and (4) depressive symptoms. Infants were treated for a variety of sleep problems by a paediatric nurse. The parents were simultaneously treated for distress by either the paediatric nurse or a specialist, depending on the nature of their problems. RESULTS: Mothers and fathers experienced a high degree of distress before the intervention, with no significant difference between them. Two months after the intervention both parents' distress had significantly improved. Parents' degree of distress was at a psychopathological level before the intervention but was reduced to population norms 2 months after the intervention. The paediatric nurse intervention was sufficient to reduce distress for 83% of parents. CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals who care for infants with sleep problems should pay attention to the distressed responses of parents and support their recovery. An intervention such as that described here could be used by nurses for this purpose.     

A literature review of principles, policies and practice in extended nursing roles relating to UK intensive care settings

Aims. To provide an overview of the literature relating to the principles, policy and practice of extended nursing roles in UK intensive care settings to date; to review and critically assess evidence of impact, outcomes and effect on practice and provide suggestions for future research. Background. It is known that career development opportunities, new technologies, patient needs, as well as the reduction in junior doctors’ hours, are driving the development of new roles for nurses. Policy initiatives aim to expand nursing roles to support professional substitution. In adult, neonatal and paediatric intensive care, specialist trained nurses and designated advanced nursing practitioners are increasingly taking on extended practice of clinical tasks previously undertaken by medical staff. As yet there are no statutory regulations on the perceived scope and definition of the role of extended and advanced roles. Design. Systematic review. Methods. Search of electronic databases and selection of policy and peer‐reviewed reports and reviews of extended nursing roles or advanced nursing practitioners in UK intensive care settings. Results. Chronological review shows policy development proceeding in a relatively ad hoc way. There is limited information available about how extensively or effectively extended nursing roles are being implemented in intensive care settings in the UK, particularly in adult and paediatric intensive care. To test local initiative findings for reliability and generalisability, a more robust evidence base is required. Conclusions. More data are needed on definition and outcomes of extended nursing roles in intensive care and care process measures should be developed to better inform implementation of nurse role development in the UK. Relevance to clinical practice. The review of policy and research evidence in this paper may better inform clinicians working in adult, neonatal or paediatric intensive care, as they continue to be challenged by expansion and development of their role. It may also help to form a basis and evaluation for future research into extended and advanced nursing roles in intensive care settings.     

Establishing need for palliative care services for children/young people

This article describes how epidemiology may be used effectively to provide hard statistical data upon which to justify and base the development of paediatric palliative nursing services within a defined locality. Through an analysis of mortality data this study identified the number of children and young people with life-limited (LL) conditions who met the criteria for paediatric palliative care (PPC) in South Glamorgan. Findings from this were then related to the provision of services, including nursing services, required to meet the PPC needs of children and those of their families within such a population. Outcomes identify the need for a multiprofessional/multiagency approach to care provision, including family nursing, respite and terminal care as well as postbereavement support. This study highlights how epidemiology may be used effectively to identify unmet needs and promote better systems of care delivery. Studies such as this strengthen the argument for nurses to cast aside what has been perceived as a hesitancy to use quantitative methods of research (Bonnell, 1999). Epidemiology, as a methodology, may now be deemed as yet another vital weapon in the nurse researchers' armoury aimed at providing evidence-based health care.     

Going it alone: the beginning of a nurse-led retrieval service

Training for experienced paediatric intensive care nurses to work as retrieval nurse practitioners is being offered by the South Thames Retrieval Service. To date, nine such practitioners have been assessed as competent to practise independently and in their first three and a half years of practice have transferred 366 critically ill children. Potential obstacles included: limitations to prescribing, resistance to nurses performing a traditional medical role and adaptation in the paediatric intensive care unit environment. Continuing evaluation is essential to ensure a high standard of care.     

Partnership caring

• ? ‘Partnership caring’ emphasizes the current paediatric practices and their importance in paediatric nursing Today.
• ? The importance in not compromising care in a rapidly changing health scene is described when shrinking resources and increasing constraints put pressure on the health services.
• ? Important concepts such as pre-admission programmes, creating the right environment for the child, family-centred care, parent participation, family accommodation and supporting services, nursing documentation, the rights of the child and family, specialist and community nursing services as well as children's out-patient services providing the vital link in the continuum of care are all emphasized. They show how these became ideas 5–6 years ago but are now firmly established in the philosophy of family-centred care.
• ? In the new health service today, paediatric nurses face new challenges which emanate from the children and parents served, but also from within new clinical directorate structures. ‘However, within our new world of clinical directorates and when the clinical director has the executive authority to make and influence decisions, and when segmentalization of paediatric services becomes a real threat (and in some places this is happening now!) paediatric nurses must remember the children. We must stand firm in our values and beliefs and above all we must not allow these changes to compromise the care we give to children and their families.’

     

Adaptation and negotiation as an approach to care in paediatric diabetes specialist nursing practice: a critical review

Considerable attention has been given to diabetes care in children. However, nursing practice may be guided by biomedical models. Diabetes care in children should focus on family-centred approaches arguably based in the community. Psychosocial constructs have an important role in the development of self-management of chronic illness in children. Paediatric diabetes nurse specialists are pivotal in facilitating family-centred care based on personal models of child and family interventions.     

Organisation et perspectives des SMUR pédiatriques en France — Résultats de l’enquête du GFRUP

Since 35 years, transportation of critically ill children is provided by neonatal and paediatric specialized mobile intensive care units (SMUR), which significantly improved patient support and transfer. Since 2005, the French regulation progressed when the Directorate for Hospitalization and Organization of Care classified interhospital transport into three categories according to the health care provider present during the transport (doctor in medicine, nurse or paramedics). It also detailed the objectives as well as the human and material resources required for each kind of transport. Further, a study conducted in 2011 by the French-speaking group of paediatric intensive care and emergency medicine (GFRUP) showed that most of the French regions have already got specialized SMUR teams, although their organization and activity reports still considerably varied according to their location. The dedicated medical staffs remained limited, while nursing staffs increased. Currently, the main paediatric SMUR teams perform primary transports and secondary transports of older children and take part in the regulation of paediatrician calls. The national group of paediatric SMUR coordinates various projects, aiming to develop teaching, evaluation and research within the speciality.     

An action research study to explore the nature of the nurse consultant role in the care of children and young people

Aims and objectives. An action research study was undertaken to explore the development of the nurse consultant role when caring for children and young people. Background Five nurse consultants in different areas of specialist care in a tertiary paediatric hospital undertook the study when implementing the new role of nurse consultant into the hospital. Methods. Action research meetings took place over a year. The nurse consultants then collated and analysed data using thematic analysis during the second year. A research fellow facilitated meetings, carried out participant observation, and coordinated the action research project. Results. Data analysis revealed 22 subthemes grouped into four overarching themes: shaping the role; shaping child‐centred care through consultancy; taking responsibility for practice; and leadership. These roles and their ease and complexity within the nurse consultant role are examined in further detail in this paper. Balancing the four key components in a newly developing role was initially complex and required support. Over time the nurse consultants developed the necessary skills to perform fully in all areas. A major challenge was developing the research role, a key function of the nurse consultant role. By the end of the study, all nurse consultants were actively embarking upon their own research either in preparation for or as part of Doctoral studies. Conclusions and relevance to clinical practice. While there are many similarities with nurse consultants in adult practice, one major difference was the nurse consultant role in supporting families when caring for children and young people. This meant having a three‐way communication style: with the family, the child/young person, and other healthcare professionals. This communication style was observed by the research fellow in participant observation of the nurse consultants undertaking clinical care and is described further in the analysis of the role.     

Practice of family-centred care in intensive care units before the COVID-19-pandemic: A cross-sectional analysis in German-speaking countries

ObjectivesTo provide insights into visiting policies and family-centred care practices with a focus on children as visitors in Intensive Care Units in German-speaking countries.Methods/DesignOnline-survey with a mixed methods approach. Leading clinicians (n = 1943) from German-speaking countries were invited to participate. Outcomes included the percentage of intensive care units with open visiting policies, age restrictions, family-centred care activities and barriers.SettingPaediatric, mixed and adult unitsResultsIn total, 19.8% (n = 385) of the clinicians responded. Open visiting times were reported by 36.3% (n = 117), with significant differences between paediatric (79.2%), adult (21.3%) and mixed-age (41.2%) units (p < 0.01). Two-thirds of clinicians stated that their units had no age restrictions for children as visitors (n = 221, 68.4%). The family-centred care activities most frequently implemented were open visiting times and dissemination of information. Significantly more German units have open visiting policies and more Swiss units allow children as visitors, compared to the other countries (both p < 0.001). Barriers to family-centred care were concerns about children being traumatized, infection and workload.ConclusionThe majority reported that family-centred care policies had been implemented in their units, including open visiting policies, allowing children as visitors without age restriction and other family-centred care activities.     

The impact of family-centered care interventions on neonatal and parental outcomes in a Turkish hospital

AimThis study aimed to improve nurses’ attitudes towards parental engagement and to examine the impact of implementing nursing interventions related to family-centred care on neonatal and parental outcomes in a university hospital in Turkey.MethodsA quasi-experimental, nonequivalent, and post-test research design was used. Using convenience sampling, the study was completed with 128 preterm infants and their parents, including 64 in the experimental group and 64 in the control group at a neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital. The control group data were collected from medical records and parents before practising family-centred nursing interventions developed for the experimental group. In addition, nurses were given a four hour training session aimed to improve their attitudes towards parental participation in care, with the nurses’ attitudes measured before, immediately after, and one month after the training. The experimental group data were collected from medical records and parents after 10 nursing interventions based on family-centred care supported by managers began to be implemented by trained nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Parent-Preterm Infant Characteristics Form, Maternal Attachment Inventory, Empowerment of Parents in the Intensive Care-Neonatology (EMPATHIC-N), and Parental Engagement Attitude Scale were used for the data collection.FindingsWhile nurses’ scores of attitudes toward parental participation obtained immediately after and one month after the training were higher than those before the training, the scores one month after were lower compared to those immediately after. The results indicated that discharge weight gain of infants in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group and that there was no significant difference between the groups in length of stay at neonatal intensive care unit. The maternal attachment and satisfaction scores of the parents in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group.ConclusionImplementing family-centred nursing care interventions, developed based on unit needs and supported by managers, with trained neonatal intensive care nurses positively impacted parent-infant attachment, parent satisfaction, and infant weight gain.