The effect of family-centered care education on pediatric nurses' attitudes and clinical practices: Nurse and parent perception.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Family-centered care (FCC) is a crucial and dynamic philosophy within 21st-century pediatric nursing, offering numerous benefits for both children and their families. It is essential for pediatric nurses to be well-versed in the FCC approach and related practices. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of nurse training on nurses' attitudes towards FCC and on nurses' clinical practices related to FCC. METHODS: This study utilized a pretest-posttest, single-blind (for nurses and parents), and prospective design. The sample consisted of nurses (n = 41) employed at a university hospital's pediatric clinics and parents (n = 256) with infants or children admitted to these clinics. Data collection involved the Nurse Information Form, Parent and Child Information Form, Family-Centered Care Scale (FCCS), and Family-Centered Care Attitude Scale (FCCAS). RESULTS: A significant difference was observed between nurses' pre- and post-training FCCAS median scores (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was detected between the median FCCS scores of parents whose children were cared for by nurses before and after the training (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Following the FCC training provided to pediatric nurses, their attitudes towards the necessity and importance of FCC significantly improved compared to the pre-training period. However, no significant difference was found in the perceived FCC practices of parents whose children received inpatient treatment during the pre-and post-training periods. IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: Training is important in improving pediatric nurses' attitudes towards FCC. Planned training on FCC should be provided for nurses. Difficulties in pediatric nurses' FCC practices should be identified. In addition, FCC practices should be implemented as a policy in hospitals and pediatric clinics and nurses should be supported to ensure the implementation of FCC practices.

The effect of evidence-based pain assessment protocol in pediatric emergency department on nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards pain.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the effect of the "Evidence-Based Pain Assessment Protocol in Pediatric Emergency Department" on nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards pain. METHOD: A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted with 11 nurses. Before the protocol was applied, 337 nurses' records were assessed for one month. Subsequently, the nurses were educated in the Evidence-Based Pain Assessment Protocol in the Pediatric Emergency Department. After the education, the researchers assessed 315 nurses' records for one month to evaluate the protocol's effect on the nurses' clinical practice. RESULTS: The study found no significant difference in the mean scores of nurses' Pediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitude Scale between the pre-and post-education periods (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference in the types of pain assessment tools used between these two periods (p < 0.001). In the post-education period, the frequency of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions implemented increased significantly compared to the pre-education period (p < 0.001). Additionally, the study found that the frequency of nurses describing pain and reassessing pain increased significantly in the post-education period compared to the pre-education period (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The study found that there was no significant change in the nurses' Pediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitude Scale scores before and after the training. However, it was observed that the frequency of nurses reassessing pain, using non-pharmacological interventions, and describing pain increased after the protocol was applied in the emergency department. In particular, therapeutic communication and the walking method were used more frequently in the post-training period among the non-pharmacological interventions applied by the nurses for pain.

The effect of an interactive robot on children's post-operative anxiety, mobilization, and parents' satisfaction; randomized controlled study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of an interactive robot on Turkish children's post-operative anxiety, mobilization, and parents' satisfaction related to post-operative care. METHOD: A randomized controlled study was conducted with 84 children who will undergo day surgery aged 5-10 years and their parents at a university hospital between June 2020-April 2022. The interactive robot was provided to accompany the children during the postoperative mobilization. Children in the control group received standard care during mobilization. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Children's State Anxiety (CSA), Parental Satisfaction Scale-Visual Analog Scale, and Mobilization Chart. RESULTS: It was determined that the CSA score of the children in the control group were higher than the intervention group before their first mobilization after surgery (p = 0.005). During the first (p = 0.042) and second (p = 0.012) mobilization, it was determined that the mobilization duration of children in the intervention group was longer than the children in the control group. It was found that the parents of the children in the intervention group had a high level of satisfaction. CONCLUSION: It has been determined that interactive robots positively affect postoperative mobilization in children undergoing day surgery, reduce the anxiety level of children before mobilization, and increase the duration of mobilization. In addition, the use of interactive robots increased parents' satisfaction with post-operative mobilization care. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Using interactive robots to reduce the stress and anxiety of children during the perioperative process can be a promising approach to improve their recovery by providing early mobilization.

Life experiences of adolescents with cancer in Turkey: a phenomenological study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore life experiences of adolescents after cancer diagnosis. METHODS: The phenomenological qualitative study was conducted at the paediatric oncology clinic of a university hospital in Edirne, Turkey, from March 15 to April 1, 2016, and comprised semi-structured interviews with adolescents aged 10-18 years diagnosed with different types of cancer. Data was analysed using Colaizzi's method. RESULTS: Of the 12 adolescents, 7(58.3%) were boys and 5(41.7%) were girls. The overall mean age was 14.92}2.19. Mean duration of life post-diagnosis was 2.87}2.94 years (range: 1-11 years), and all (100%) of them had undergone chemotherapy. More adolescents experienced shock, sadness, fear, anxiety, curiosity and uncertainty when they learned their diagnosis. Changes related to family included missing their siblings and parents, and feelings of guilt, anger, and sibling jealousy. Adolescents stated that they missed their schools and friends, feared stigmatisation, abandonment and changes related to future. They wanted a stress-free life, to have an occupation, to continue school, and to be independent. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer changed adolescents' relationships with family and peers, and their feelings and thoughts regarding future. It is important that health professionals, especially nurses, recognise and understand such changes to provide quality care.

Determination of methods used by the neonatal care unit nurses for management of procedural pain in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods used by neonatal intensive care unit nurses to reduce procedural pain. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2011 to June 2012 and comprised nurses employed in the paediatric departments, consisting of neonatal intensive care units and newborn units, of 15 hospitals in various cities of Turkey: 8 in Istanbul, 3 in Izmir and two each in Antalya and Edirne. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analysed using SPSS 15. RESULTS: The mean age of the 486 nurses was 28.19±5.14 years; 316(65%) had bachelor's degrees; 278(57.2%) had nursing experience greater than 6 years; and 322(72.5%) had newborn nursing experience greater than 6 years. Overall, 364(74.9%) nurses used non-pharmacological methods, and 145(29.8%) used pharmacological methods for pain relief. The most commonly used non-pharmacological methods were skin touch 364(75%) and giving a pacifier 269(55.3%). The most commonly used pharmacological methods were paracetamol and ibuprofen by 145(29.8%) nurses. A statistically significant difference was found between the level of education and use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods for pain relief (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the nurses in both groups, very little pain management was used for invasive procedures. Educational programmes for pain management in newborns should be arranged to develop an institutional culture. Guidelines for these patients' pain management should also be established.

Experiences of nursing students in caring for pediatric cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to determine the experiences of nursing students in caring for paediatric cancer patients and their families. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative survey was carried out with 14 students studying in the nursing department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in Edirne, Turkey. Data were obtained through focus group interviews and evaluated based on a qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: It was determined that students, for the most part, experienced problems related to communication, sadness, helplessness, fear, anxiety, resentment and anger. In addition, the students were affected most often by effects of the disease and invasive procedures on paediatric cancer patients and their families during the process of caring for them in the oncology clinic. CONCLUSIONS: It would be useful to inform nursing students, prior to clinical practice, about the special needs of paediatric cancer patients and families who stay in oncology clinics, and to follow up with appropriate guidance during the clinical practices.

Hopelessness and depression levels of parents of children with cancer.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the hopelessness and depression levels of parents of children diagnosed with cancer and undergoing cancer treatment and factors affecting these levels. The study was carried out with parents of 44 children receiving treatment in a paediatric haematology clinic of a university hospital. Data were collected using a survey form, the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and the Beck Depression Scale (BDS). The mean BDS score of the mothers and fathers was 18.3 ± 11.30 and 15.2 ± 11.33, respectively. The mean BHS score of the mothers was 6.45 ± 4.40, whereas the mean BHS score of the fathers was 5.88 ± 4.27. The results showed that the levels of hopelessness and depression among the mothers were higher than among the fathers (p<0.001). There was a positive relationship between the hopelessness and depression scores of the mothers and the fathers (p<0.05), and the levels of hopelessness and depression scores of the fathers increased as those of the mothers increased. A weak financial situation of the family increased the hopelessness and depression levels of the fathers. The hopelessness and depression levels of the mothers who were supported by their families and relatives were decreased compared to those without such support (p<0.05). The results show that the parents of children with cancer face many psychosocial and spiritual problems. Using simple screening tools, nurses can identify at-risk parents and direct them to support services. We conclude that actively encouraging families to avail themselves of support resources and supporting them financially would positively affect the levels of depression and hopelessness of parents of children with cancer.