An exploration of managing emotional labour and maintaining professional integrity in children's hospice nursing.

BACKGROUND: Research exploring nurse-parent relationships in children's hospices is rare. AIM: To investigate how children's hospice nurses manage emotional labour and professional integrity in their long-term relationships with parents. METHODS: A purposive sample of six children's nurses, from hospices across England, recorded audio diaries and participated in telephone interviews. Narratives were thematically analysed. FINDINGS: Three overarching, cross-cutting themes were identified-purposeful positioning; balancing personability and professionalism; coping with and counterbalancing emotional labour. All themes were indicative of and/or built upon emotional intelligence constructs, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, appropriate (managed) empathy, social skills and intrinsic motivation. Innate features of children's hospice work were important for perpetuating intrinsic motivation and satisfaction. CONCLUSION: This study provided an insight into the management of emotional labour and professional integrity by experienced children's hospice nurses. The identification of emotional intelligence skills merits further exploration in this environment, as well as other children's palliative care settings.

Long-term nurse-parent relationships in paediatric palliative care: a narrative literature review.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric palliative care (PPC) is an active, total approach to the holistic care of the child and family. Close, long-lasting relationships between healthcare professionals and parents in paediatric palliative care enhance quality, provide emotional support and can influence how parents manage their role in the face of uncertainty. AIM: To present a narrative literature review of long-term relationships between children's nurses and parents in PPC settings. METHODS: Six databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, ASSIA, Scopus, Medline and BNI) were searched, identifying 35 articles. A grey literature search produced seven additional relevant items. FINDINGS: Four themes were identified: bonds; attachments and trust; sharing the journey; going the extra mile; and boundaries and integrity. All themes revealed an element of tension between closeness and professionalism. CONCLUSION: Gaining a greater understanding of how closeness and professionalism are successfully managed by children's palliative care nurses could positively influence pre- and post-registration nurse education.

Diagnosis and management of ADHD: a new way forward?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition characterised by a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity. The condition impacts on multiple aspects of an individual's life, as it can affect motor skills, social relationships, self-esteem and educational success. The diagnosis and management of this condition is of concern to healthcare professionals and is a topic often debated by the media. The most recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on diagnosing and managing ADHD in children, young people and adults has triggered a resurgence of this debate. The NICE guidance is particularly interesting because it states that behavioural therapies, rather than medications, should be the first-line treatment. While this apparent reversal in approach will be welcomed by some, this is an emotive issue and will no doubt also meet with strong opposition. This paper seeks to explore and discuss the existing evidence relating to medication versus behavioural therapies, and difficulties that may arise in implementing the latest NICE guidance.