Occupational Stress of Pediatric Emergency Nurses in Greece During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous studies have shown the high prevalence of occupational stress (OS) of health workers, affecting the quality of health care provided. To date, there is no study regarding OS of emergency care pediatric nurses working in Greece. This study aimed to examine the pediatric nurses' OS working in tertiary public hospitals in Greece. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 104 pediatric nurses were recruited randomly from summer 2020 to summer 2021. The Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS), which consists of 59 items grouped into nine categories, was used to assess nurses OS. The overall OS mean score was 141.04 (SD = 33.48), indicating mild stress. Among nine categories, pediatric nurses were more stressed about patients and families (mean = 22.83, SD = 5.71), as well as death and dying (mean = 19.33, SD = 5.22), whereas they were less stressed about discrimination (mean = 4.21, SD = 4.09) and problems with peer support (mean = 12.11, SD = 4.58). Sex, age, and shifts did not correlate with OS. Borderline correlation was present between age and inadequate emotional preparation for less experienced nurses (p = 0.047), while higher educated pediatric nurses were more stressed because of workload than lower educated pediatric nurses (p = 0.044). Greek pediatric nurses suffered mild OS during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a great need for further research and implementation of supportive sustainable programs aimed to the minimization of OS and the optimization of health care provided during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perspectiva parental del cuidado humanizado de la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos / Parental perspective of humanized care at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objetivo: describir el cuidado humanizado en Enfermería desde la perspectiva parental en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (UCIP).Método: orientación fenomenológica de Husserl. Los participantes han sido progenitores de población infantil de entre 3 a 6 años ingresados en la UCIP en la Comunidad de Madrid. Se ha realizado un muestreo por conveniencia y bola de nieve con nueve participantes. La recopilación de datos ha sido mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas a partir de preguntas abiertas sobre temas de interés con una duración entre 40 y 50 minutos. El análisis de contenido se realizó siguiendo el método de Strauss y Corbin en tres fases.Resultados: se identificaron tres categorías: Disrupción del ingreso en la UCIP, Tiempo y espacio en la UCI Pediátricos y Atención enfermera en la UCIP. Los progenitores manifestaron un gran desconocimiento acerca de los cuidados y las labores realizadas en las unidades de cuidados intensivos antes del ingreso de sus hijos e hijas. En todos los casos sintieron miedo e incertidumbre. Los progenitores valoraron la constancia, el seguimiento exhaustivo y el apoyo emocional como una parte fundamental de los cuidados del personal de Enfermería en estas unidades.Conclusiones: todavía existe un desafío en la inclusión efectiva de los padres y hay una percepción insuficiente del apoyo del equipo de Enfermería hacia ellos y ellas. Se debe considerar incluir a las familias en los cuidados de sus hijos e hijas en una UCIP para disminuir el estrés y mejorar la percepción de la atención enfermera. (AU)

Objective: to describe the humanized Nursing care from the parental perspective at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).Method: husserlian-oriented descriptive phenomenological methodology. The participants were parents of the paediatric population (3-to-6 years old) admitted at the PICU in the Community of Madrid. Convenience and snowball sampling were conducted with nine participants. There was data collection through semistructured interviews based on open questions about topics of interest, with a duration between 40 and 50 minutes. Content analysis was conducted following the method in three stages by Strauss and Corbin.Results: three categories were identified: Disruption of admission at the PICU, Time and space at the Pediatric ICU, and Nursing care at the PICU. Parents showed a major lack of knowledge about the care and tasks conducted at the Intensive Care Units before their children were admitted. In all cases, they felt fear and uncertainty. Parents valued consistency, thorough follow-up and emotional support as an essential part of Nursing care in these units.Conclusions: the effective inclusion of parents still represents a challenge, and there is an insufficient perception of the support by the Nursing team towards them. It must be considered to include families in the care of their children at the PICU, in order to reduce stress and improve the perception of Nursing care. (AU)

Prazer e sofrimento de profissionais de enfermagem que atuam em emergência pediátrica / Placer y sufrimiento de profesionales de enfermería que actúan en emergencia pediátrica / Pleasure and suffering of nursing professionals working in pediatric emergency

Objetivo: identificar as situações de prazer e sofrimento em profissionais de enfermagem de um serviço de emergência. Método: estudo qualitativo, realizado com profissionais da equipe de enfermagem de um hospital pediátrico de Santa Catarina, Brasil. A produção de informações ocorreu em 2021 por meio de entrevista semiestruturada e a interpretação dos resultados seguiu os passos da análise de conteúdo. Resultados: as fontes de prazer no trabalho foram: melhora da saúde da criança, identificação com a atividade que exerce, reconhecimento no trabalho e trabalho em equipe. No sofrimento destacaram-se: sobrecarga de trabalho, agravamento da doença da criança, espaço físico inadequado, organização do trabalho centrado no gestor e dificuldade de relacionamento entre colegas. Considerações finais: o reconhecimento dos fatores geradores de prazer e sofrimento e as estratégias de defesas possibilitam buscar respostas que permitam ao profissional de enfermagem manter seu ambiente de trabalho produtivo e menos desgastante.

Objetivo: identificar las situaciones de placer y sufrimiento en profesionales de enfermería de un servicio de emergencia. Método: estudio cualitativo, realizado con profesionales del equipo de enfermería de un hospital pediátrico de Santa Catarina, Brasil. La producción de información tuvo lugar en 2021 a través de una entrevista semiestructurada y la interpretación de los resultados siguió los pasos del análisis de contenido. Resultados: las fuentes de placer en el trabajo fueron: mejora de la salud del niño, identificación con la actividad que ejerce, reconocimiento en el trabajo y trabajo en equipo. En el sufrimiento se destacaron: sobrecarga de trabajo, agravamiento de la enfermedad del niño, espacio físico inadecuado, organización del trabajo centrado en el gestor y dificultad de relación entre colegas. Conclusión: el reconocimiento de los factores generadores de placer y sufrimiento y las estrategias de defensa posibilitan buscar respuestas que permitan al profesional de enfermería mantener su ambiente de trabajo productivo y menos agotador.

Objective: to identify situations of pleasure and suffering in nursing professionals of an emergency service. Method: a qualitative study conducted with professionals from the nursing team of a pediatric hospital in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The production of information occurred in 2021 through semi-structured interviews and the interpretation of the results followed the steps of the content analysis. Results: the sources of pleasure at work were: improvement of children's health, identification with the activity they perform, recognition at work and teamwork. In the suffering, there stood out: work overload, worsening of the child's illness, inadequate physical space, organization of work centered on the manager and difficulty of relationship between colleagues. Conclusion: the recognition of the factors that generate pleasure and suffering and the strategies of defenses allows the search for answers that enable the nursing professional to maintain his/her productive and less exhausting work environment.

The Impact of Psychological Capital and Workplace Social Support on Pediatric Oncology Nurses' Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptomology.

Introduction: Work-related post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop in nurses. Pediatric oncology nursing is a potentially high-risk subspecialty for PTSD secondary to the nature of the work. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of PTSD symptomology and explore relationships between nurse psychological capital, workplace social supports, and PTSD symptomology in pediatric oncology nurses. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional correlational survey design. Pediatric oncology nurses working in direct patient care in the United States completed a demographics questionnaire, Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), Coworker Support Scale, Supervisor Support Scale, and the Post traumatic Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (PCL-5). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including logistic regression models, were used to analyze data. A cutoff score of ≥31 on the PCL-5 was used to determine the prevalence of PTSD symptomology. Results: The sample included 424 nurses. The prevalence of PTSD symptomology was 13.4%. Work setting (inpatient), decreased coworker and leadership social support, and psychological capital were independently associated with PTSD symptomology. After controlling for covariates, only psychological capital was associated with PTSD symptomology. For a 1 unit decrease in PCQ score, pediatric oncology nurses were 4.25 times more likely to have PTSD symptomology. Discussion: PTSD prevalence rates in pediatric oncology nurses are aligned with rates found in other nursing specialties. Nurse psychological capital may play a protective role against PTSD symptomology. Implications for Future Research: Findings support PTSD as a serious workplace concern for nurses. Workplace programs that foster nurses' psychological capabilities should be considered to protect against the development of PTSD symptomology.

Understanding Inpatient Surgical Nurses' Meaningful Recognition Preferences.

Nurse leaders have a responsibility to nurture a work environment that prioritizes meaningful recognition. This quality improvement project explored the perceptions of meaningful recognition of inpatient pediatric surgical nurses. Meaningful recognition provides a chance to honor all voices, particularly those that have not been previously heard. To be heard is to be honored and to be recognized is to be valued.

Pleasure and suffering in the work of nurses at the oncopediatric hospital unit: qualitative research.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the experiences that generate pleasure and suffering in the work of nurses in an oncopediatric inpatient unit. METHODS: Qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study. Data collection took place from March to May 2018, through interviews with eight nurses in an oncopediatric inpatient unit. RESULTS: The verbalized experiences of pleasure were the work developed with children, participation in the treatment and cure of patients and the recognition of family members in relation to the work performed. The suffering experiences were palliative care and death of patients, performing invasive procedures and organizing work. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: It was possible to analyze the experiences of pleasure and suffering of nurses in an oncopediatric unit through the psychodynamics of work, allowing to reinvent prevention and intervention measures by managers in health/mental illness processes at work.

Investigation and Analysis of Perceived Stress Levels in Pediatric Nurses During the 2019-20 SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak.

This study investigated perceived stress levels of pediatric nurses during the 2019-20 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak. From February 9 to 13, 2020, 250 pediatric nurses were selected from 4 grade III children's hospitals and 5 grade III general hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. A general information questionnaire and a stress perception scale were used to investigate and analyze the influencing factors of perceived stress among participants. Perceived stress was at the intermediate level or above for 54.1% (133) of the sample. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that hospital department, living styles, physical conditions, and the proportion of negative (eg, increased deaths and infections) information received about the epidemic (eg, via media and/or face-to-face) influenced perceived stress. Thus, the overall level of perceived stress among clinical pediatric nurses was medium. Nursing managers should pay more attention to and conduct timely assessment interventions for staff to reduce stress levels and promote physical and mental health.

Effects of learned resourcefulness, work-life quality, and burnout on pediatric nurses' intention to leave job.

AIM: This study was conducted to determine the effects of learned resourcefulness, work-life quality, and burnout level on the pediatric nurses' intention to leave work. DESIGN AND METHOD: The study was conducted with 268 nurses. Data were evaluated by Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. FINDINGS: In this study, 40.7% of nurses showed the intention to leave their jobs. Work-life quality, burnout level, and learned resourcefulness explained intention to leave the job in the rate, respectively, of 21.5%, 27.6%, and 12.1%. These three factors indicate that intention to leave the job is 41%. PRACTICE IMPLICATION: Nurse managers can reduce nurses' intention to leave the job by providing safe, comfortable, accessible, appropriate working conditions, increasing the learned resourcefulness level, and supporting nurses.

Posttraumatic growth and burnout in pediatric nurses: The mediating role of secondary traumatization and the moderating role of meaning in work.

The current study focused on pediatric nurses. It explored the direct link between posttraumatic growth as a coping resource and burnout and the indirect link between posttraumatic growth and burnout via secondary traumatic stress (mediating effect). Moreover, meaning in work was examined as a moderator variable in relation to the direct link and the indirect link. One hundred and thirty-eight nurses working at a pediatric medical center filled out self-report questionnaires regarding personal and professional data, burnout, posttraumatic growth, secondary traumatic stress, and meaning in work. Posttraumatic growth was found to be a coping resource that linked to pediatric nurses' burnout directly and indirectly. Directly, there was an inverse correlation between the two; indirectly, posttraumatic growth linked negatively to secondary traumatic stress, and secondary traumatic stress linked positively to burnout. Moreover, meaning in work played a dual moderating role. First, it moderated the relationship between posttraumatic growth and secondary traumatization. Second, it moderated the direct relationship between posttraumatic growth and burnout, namely, the negative link between posttraumatic growth and burnout became stronger as meaning in work increased. As such, we recommend enhancing personal and professional posttraumatic growth, as well as designing interventions that promote meaningful work among pediatric nurses.

Effects of simulation training on COVID-19 control ability and psychological states of nurses in a children's hospital.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to discuss the effects of simulation training on improving the pre-examination, triage, prevention, and control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), explain the psychological states of pre-examination and triage staff in general hospitals during the COVID-19 epidemic, and analyze relevant influencing factors. This study may serve as a reference of psychological consultation services to medical staff. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study included 60 nurses assigned in the pre-examination department, fever clinics, and isolation wards of a general hospital from January 26th to February 1st, 2020. Before assuming the posts, the nurses received simulation training on the clinical reception of suspected patients with COVID-19. Operation skills of the nurses before and after the training were assessed. RESULTS: The percent of passing significantly increased from 65% before the training to 98.33% after training (p<0.05). Training also significantly relieved the anxiety and depression of the nurses (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Scenario-simulation training can increase the emergency abilities of pediatric nurses in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic and relieve the anxiety of nurses.

Engaging Mothers to Implement Nonpharmacological Care for Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Perceptions of Perinatal and Pediatric Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about nurse perceptions regarding engagement of mothers in implementation of nonpharmacological care for opioid-exposed infants. PURPOSE: This study was designed to describe perinatal and pediatric nurse perceptions of (1) engaging mothers in the care of opioid-exposed infants and (2) facilitators and barriers to maternal engagement. METHODS: This study used a qualitative descriptive design to interview perinatal and pediatric nurses in one Midwest United States hospital. Interviews were conducted via telephone using a semistructured interview guide and audio recorded. Audio files were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Twenty-one nurses participated in the study, representing a family birth center, neonatal intensive care unit, and pediatric unit. Five major themes resulted from analysis: (1) vulnerability and bias; (2) mother-infant care: tasks versus model of care; (3) maternal factors affecting engagement and implementation; (4) nurse factors affecting engagement and implementation; and (5) recommendations and examples of nursing approaches to barriers. Minor themes supported each of the major themes. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurses must engage mothers with substance use histories with empathy and nonjudgment, identify and promote maternal agency to care for their infants, and engage and activate mothers to deliver nonpharmacological care during the hospital stay and following discharge. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Findings suggest interventions are needed to improve (1) nursing education regarding maternal substance use and recovery, (2) empathy for substance-using mothers and mothers in treatment, and (3) identification and support of maternal agency to provide nonpharmacological care to withdrawing infants.

Knowledge and attitudes of pediatric clinicians regarding pediatric pain management.

BACKGROUND: The professional knowledge and personal attitudes of pediatric clinicians regarding pediatric pain are the most important factors impacting pediatric pain relief care. Few studies have investigated the knowledge and attitudes regarding pediatric pain management of clinicians in Taiwan. PURPOSE: Research purposes were to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of pediatric clinicians regarding pain management and to describe the barriers of applying pain management across pediatric and neonatal settings. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive comparative design was used. Pediatric clinicians from two medical centers and three general hospitals in Taiwan were recruited to complete a questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 264 clinicians participated. On 33 questions measuring knowledge of pain management, the average correct response rate was 23.67. A significantly positive relationship was identified between clinicians' knowledge and prior training experience. Professional degree attainment significantly impacted clinicians' attitudes about pediatric pain management. Clinicians at pediatric wards showed more positive attitudes than did clinicians at either pediatric intensive care units or neonatal intensive care units. Five barriers to pediatric pain management were found. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that pediatric clinicians in Taiwan need further education regarding pediatric pain management. This study will also helpful in implementing multidisciplinary pediatric pain management programs to improve the quality of pediatric practice in pediatric care settings of hospitals.

Pediatric nurses' perceptions of preparedness for global health fieldwork.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research study was to understand the current state, perceived content, and experiential needs of pediatric nurses preparing for global health (GH) fieldwork experience. This study aimed to inform stakeholders about the standard and unique preparation needs of pediatric GH nurses. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: One group and five individual interviews were held with nurses from a large pediatric quaternary care facility in the Northeast United States. Data from the interviews were transcribed verbatim, eliminating personal data. Only deidentified transcripts were used for data analysis. Members of the study team used content analysis to systematically code and analyze the data. RESULTS: Qualitative content analysis revealed five categories: (1) identifying clear objectives, (2) understanding the practice environment, (3) self-assessment of clinical skills, cultural competencies, and adaptability, (4) safety and logistics planning, and (5) psychological self-care and reentry anticipatory guidance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings can provide a basis for program planning to prepare pediatric nurses for GH fieldwork. Program planning must account for the unique features of the site and situation. Organizational and personal preparation can influence the perceived success of the GH experience.

Self-care Strategies to Combat Burnout Among Pediatric Critical Care Nurses and Physicians.

BACKGROUND: Professional burnout is a widespread phenomenon in health care. The health of patients and organizations begins with the well-being of health care professionals. Identifying and understanding self-care strategies that professionals perceive to be helpful is crucial to combat burnout. OBJECTIVE: To determine perceptions of self-care strategies to combat professional burnout among nurses and physicians in pediatric critical care settings. METHODS: This was a qualitative descriptive study with a phenomenological overtone. The study was conducted in a 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit and an 8-bed intermediate care unit of a children's hospital in the United States. Information flyers and emails were used to introduce the study. A combination of convenience and purposive sampling methods was used to recruit participants who were full-time nurses and physicians in the 2 units. Information saturation was used to regulate sample sizes, resulting in 20 participants. Data were collected through a onetime face-to-face interview with each participant. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to analyze the data. The first author was the primary coder and discussed the codes with the coauthors throughout the coding process. RESULTS: Six major self-care strategies were identified: finding meaning in work, connecting with an energy source, nurturing interpersonal connections, developing an attitude of positivity, performing emotional hygiene, and recognizing one's uniqueness and contributions at work. CONCLUSIONS: Developing effective self-care strategies helps promote health care professionals' physical and psychological well-being and reduce burnout. It is vital for health care professionals to care for themselves so that they can best care for others.

The nurses' uniform in pediatrics, the opinion of children and nurses.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The nursing uniform represents a non-verbal mean of communication which in the case of children can arouse positive or negative emotions. The first study conducted on a sample of 107 children, aimed to define their preferences on different models of decorated nursing uniforms; the second one conducted on 101 nurses to understand the preferences, the meanings attributed to the uniform and their availability to adapt it according to the preferences expressed by the children. METHODS: We conducted an observational study with a qualitative approach. For the first objective with the children, a visual stimulus was used, showing 6 models of uniform: the traditional plus 5 models of different colors and themes (cartoons characters and videogames). For the second objective with the nurses, in addition to reproducing the same visual stimulus, a semi-structured questionnaire was used. RESULTS: Children and nurses seem to be in perfect accord, because in both groups, color models were the most chosen. Nurses defined their uniform with terms of particular moral, intellectual and professional value and declared themselves available to align with the preferences of the children. CONCLUSIONS: This study leaves little doubt about preferences; it also represents the true originality of the study because almost never in the literature have been compared the point of views of children and professionals, generally favoring the comparison between children and care givers. Our findings could represent a further landmark for guiding the choices of health organizations on currencies to be adopted in the pediatric field. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Encounters between children's nurses and culturally diverse parents in primary health care.

The objective of this study was to analyze the healthcare encounters between nurses and parents of different cultural backgrounds in primary health care. An ethnographic study was carried out using participant observations in health centers and interviews with nurses. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and constant comparative method. Four main themes were identified when nurses met parents of other cultural backgrounds: lack of mutual understanding, electronic records hamper the interaction, lack of professionals' cultural awareness and skills, and nurses establish superficial or distant relationships. The concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural imposition are behind these findings, hampering the provision of culturally competent care in primary health services. There were difficulties in obtaining and registering culturally related aspects that influence children's health and development. This was due to e-records, language barriers, and the lack of cultural awareness and skills in health professionals making the encounters difficult for both nurses and parents. These findings show that there is a clear threat for health equity and safety in primary care if encounters between nurses and parents do not improve to enable nursing care to be tailored to any individual family needs.

Paediatric nurses' general self-efficacy, perceived organizational support and perceived professional benefits from Class A tertiary hospitals in Jilin province of China: the mediating effect of nursing practice environment.

BACKGROUND: General self-efficacy is considered one of the most influential parameters affecting the quality of clinical practice and nurses' perceived professional benefits (NPPB). Perceived organizational support (POS) is regarded as being central in understanding job-related attitudes, and it is important to enhance POS for nurses to maintain their current employment. NPPB can further reduce nurses' job burnout and turn-over intention. Many studies have explored the relationships among general self-efficacy, POS, nursing practice environment (NPE) and NPPB. However, a moderating effect of NPE has not been fully explored in nurses, especially among paediatric nurses. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2018 with 300 paediatric nurses from 3 Class A tertiary hospitals in Jilin Province. The respondents completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale, Perceived Organizational Support Scale, Practice Environment Scale and Nurses' Perceived Professional Benefits Scale. The data were analyzed using path analysis and SPSS (version 23.0, IBM). RESULTS: General self-efficacy and POS were significantly positively associated with NPPB, which showed that the model had a good fit to the data. NPE was found to play a partial mediating role between POS and NPPB and also had a complete mediating role between general self-efficacy and NPPB. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that general self-efficacy indirectly influences NPPB, and POS directly and indirectly influences NPPB by NPE. Effective measures should be taken to improve nurses' practice environment in hospitals to raise nurses' enthusiasm and confidence in their work.

Measuring Burnout in Pediatric Oncology Staff: Should We Be Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory?

Burnout in health service staff is a cause for concern since it has negative consequences for the individual affected, the wider organization, and patients. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) has been widely used to assess the prevalence of burnout within oncology services. The MBI-HSS is a self-report measure comprising three subscales-Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (DP), and Personal Accomplishment (PA). This article reports on the first study to investigate the psychometric properties of the MBI-HSS when administered to pediatric oncology staff. Two hundred and three pediatric oncology staff recruited through seven UK Principal Treatment Centers (PTCs) and a children's cancer charity completed the MBI-HSS. The factor structure of the instrument was tested using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, with Rasch analysis applied to assess whether the measure meets the requirements of an interval-level scale. Cronbach alpha was used to assess internal reliability. Factor analysis did not support the traditional three-factor structure of the MBI-HSS but instead suggested seven factors. Rasch analysis and alpha coefficients indicated that while the EE and the PA subscales fulfilled the requirements of an interval-level measure for group-level diagnosis, DP did not. Further investigation revealed a "floor effect" on many DP items. Whereas the EE and PA subscales of the MBI-HSS can be used in research with pediatric oncology staff working in PTCs, there are considerable problems with the DP subscale, and researchers should be cautious in interpreting data from this subscale.

Paediatric nurses' knowledge and experience of autism spectrum disorders: An Italian survey.

Hospitalization of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is a challenge for paediatric nurses. The literature reveals a lack of knowledge among the clinical and behavioural characteristics of autism. The aim of the study is to investigate the knowledge of paediatric nurses about ASDs and their experience with children with ASD. Ninety-three nurses completed Knowledge About Childhood Autism Among Healthcare Workers questionnaire, a sociodemographic questionnaire and an open-ended questionnaire to evaluate the experience of nurses. Findings showed that nurses have a basic knowledge of ASD, except for comorbidity and onset of the ASD, in which they obtained lower scores. Older nurses and those who had more experience in a paediatric ward or with children with ASD showed higher scores. Analysis of the content of open-ended questionnaire showed that nurses have difficulties in managing the relationship with children with ASD, and that they wonder about how to improve it, seeking useful strategies for this purpose. During interactions, nurses experience mixed feelings such as sadness, suffering, uneasiness, inadequacy, displeasure, embarrassment and tenderness. They declare the need for more knowledge about ASD. They would like to improve their own capacity for interactions with these children, also through training.