Pediatric nurses care for patients from birth until the age of 18, giving them an opportunity to deliver personalized care to one of the most vulnerable populations. It's a job filled with joy and laughter at times, yet it can also tug on your heartstrings or present moments that feel difficult to navigate.
By actively working to create a child-centered approach to pediatric nursing care, you can provide your patients with the empathetic, nurturing, and effective care that they both need and deserve.
Years ago, pediatric care primarily focused on providing children with physical treatment as needed, without much help or input from parents or caregivers. Today, however, pediatricians and pediatric nurses alike work to implement a child-centered approach to care, ensuring that each child receives personalized treatment that takes into account their physical, social, and emotional well-being.
According to research published in the academic journal, core principles of child-centered pediatric nursing care include:
Ultimately, child-centered pediatric nursing care calls for nurses to keep the best interests of the child in mind at all times.
Pediatric nurses should work to offer both trauma-informed and strengths-based care. According to the , trauma-informed pediatric care requires healthcare providers to be aware of the far-reaching impact of trauma, look for signs or symptoms of trauma, and provide care that avoids further trauma.
complements trauma-based care. This requires healthcare providers to focus on the patient's individual strengths to help develop trust and rapport, which is of utmost importance when working with pediatric patients.
Working with children each day requires nurses to communicate with them in a way that is understandable, relatable, and enables them to build trust with patients.
Developmentally appropriate care is crucial when working with children. Understanding the various developmental stages and language skills of children can help nurses enjoy positive interactions with their patients. For instance, a nurse who is working with a toddler may ask simpler questions that require a one-word response or allow the child to use hand gestures to answer, rather than asking more complex questions that they may not quite understand yet.
Pediatric nurses can consider leveraging the following communication techniques to in their young patients:
In pediatric nursing, you are not only caring for the child; you are also educating the parents or caregivers. Families are a critical partner in all care decisions, requiring nurses to have a deep sense of cultural awareness. Culturally responsive pediatric care builds trust and improves pediatric patient engagement overall.
In hospitals with pediatric clinics, family-centered rounds involve families in the treatment process. During family-centered rounds, the care team meets with family members to share information, address questions or concerns, and engage in active conversation. These rounds allow families to play an active role in the clinical decision-making process.
Preparing caregivers is equally essential as preparing pediatric patients. Nurses can provide parents with caregiver stress resources that not only offer insight into their child's treatment but also can grant them access to the support services they may need. For example, offering diabetes education for children and parents can be particularly helpful for caregivers whose child has recently been diagnosed with diabetes.
To some degree, all nurses offer comfort to their patients, but pediatric nurses may find that they are required to be reassuring and nurturing on a more regular basis. Knowing how to comfort and support children during their procedures can help nurses build trust with their patients and deliver compassionate care.
The fact of the matter is, many of the routine pediatric procedures hurt, and children may not understand why they need to be in pain. Whether they are receiving a routine vaccination or undergoing a pediatric procedure, children will need their nurse to comfort them.
Pain management in children is distinctly different from adult pain management, as children may have a hard time quantifying or explaining their pain. Pain scales for children are a valuable tool that nurses can use to gauge pain and address it accordingly.
are one of the best ways to reduce stress in children undergoing a procedure or receiving a vaccine. The leading distraction techniques include:
Below are some of the most that nurses will encounter in their practice:
Most parents bring their children to the pediatrician's office in order to address minor injuries or seek treatment for acute illnesses. Common childhood complaints include sore throats, ear pain, coughing, and digestive issues.
Pediatric nurses will encounter young patients with chronic conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, congenital heart disease, or cystic fibrosis. The emphasis on preventive care and child-centered care has reduced many of the complications associated with chronic conditions and has allowed more children to live long, healthy, and fulfilling lives.
Preventative care plays a vital role in modern pediatrics. Nurses work closely with physicians to screen patients, identify potential risk factors, and develop strategies to help prevent serious illness or complications in the future. For instance, parents whose children are diagnosed with asthma often receive a pediatric asthma action plan that enables them to make quick, life-saving decisions in the event of a serious asthma attack.
Pediatric medication dosing varies substantially based on the type of medication being administered, the reason why the medicine is required, and the age and size of the pediatric patient.
When administering medication to pediatric patients, nurses have to keep in mind that children's bodies process prescription medications differently from adults. Medications should be administered based on not only the age of the patient but also their weight. Precise pediatric medication dosing is integral to the safety and efficacy of treatment.
Preventive care is a crucial aspect of pediatric nursing, with nurses often working closely with parents to track the growth and development of their children. Nurses emphasize the importance of health literacy in pediatrics, such as explaining sleep hygiene for children to parents or providing information about the best nutrition for children at particular ages or stages of life.
In both office and hospital settings, nurses will monitor the growth of children and assist with feeding, particularly with infants. Through growth monitoring, nurses are able to ensure that children are developing appropriately.
Behavioral health and neurodevelopment play a primary role in pediatric preventative healthcare, and a personalized approach to treatment allows nurses to provide developmentally appropriate care to all patients.
According to the , research-based checklists and questionnaires are used by pediatric nurses and pediatricians for developmental screening. These questionnaires cover topics such as language, behavior, movement, and emotions, and are done at specific intervals in a young child's life.
In addition to being able to work with infants and young children, pediatric nurses must know how to care for adolescent patients, who may need a safe space where they can discuss their personal healthcare needs.
The emphasizes that confidentiality is critical for adolescent patients. Pediatric nurses should work to gain the trust of adolescent patients by affording them privacy while also balancing the role of parental involvement.
Equitable care in pediatrics requires healthcare providers to ensure that all children have access to high-quality, whole-child healthcare, regardless of their circumstances.
Social determinants of health have a significant impact on every person's ability to live a healthy and productive life, but children are particularly vulnerable to the impact of social determinants of health. According to research in the journal, social determinants of health screenings should be implemented in pediatric critical care units and other pediatric healthcare settings in order for providers to create a personalized, evidence-based treatment plan that ensures that the individual patient receives comprehensive, equitable care.
When pediatric patients are discharged from hospitals, providers are putting their needs in the hands of their parents. The transition back to the home environment requires specific pediatric discharge instructions as well as educational resources that can help caregivers best manage the needs of their children.
Teachback for caregivers is an intervention that is widely used as part of pediatric discharge instructions. According to the , the teachback technique allows healthcare providers to confirm that families understand the instructions before the child patient is discharged.
Interprofessional collaboration plays a pivotal part in pediatrics, with both doctors and nurses working across specialty areas to help ensure the unique needs of their patients are met.
By creating clearly identified team roles and developing a strategic approach to interprofessional collaboration, pediatric healthcare providers can enact a child-centered approach to healthcare.
Understanding the needs of pediatric patients as well as the experiences of their families is key to providing high-quality, child-centered healthcare.
In order to continuously improve the quality of healthcare delivered, nurses and pediatricians should measure key metrics such as:
Use the tell-show-do approach: Use simple words to explain the procedure, perform a quick demonstration on a doll or your hand, and then perform the actual procedure. Pair this approach with choices, distraction techniques, and a coping plan.
First and foremost, always acknowledge the values of the parents. Then, provide clear risks and benefits in plain language, and attempt to find common ground. If the child's safety is at stake, escalate the situation to the clinical team.
To keep children as comfortable as possible, apply topical anesthetic when needed, use comfort positioning, employ distraction techniques, and praise children afterwards.
Provide adolescent patients with private time and explain the confidentiality limits that are in place. Always use open-ended questions, validate concerns, and invite them to set shared goals before reconvening with caregivers.
The most important pediatric discharge instructions include providing clear dosing with measuring tools, sharing symptoms to watch out for, explaining when to call and whom to contact, offering guidance about returning to school or normal activities, and emphasizing the importance of a scheduled follow-up visit within the recommended timeframe.
Screening for mood changes, sleep disruption, school avoidance, safety issues, or social stressors can help you identify potential social or emotional issues. Always document concerns and loop in social workers and behavioral health workers if needed to create a safety plan.
When barriers are in place, use interventions such as qualified interpreters, pictograms, teachback for caregivers, and hands-on demonstrations. Always provide written materials at appropriate reading levels and in the family's preferred language.
Pediatric nursing care can be highly rewarding and uniquely challenging. This specialty area appeals to nurses who enjoy working with children and want to advocate for their needs, but it requires nurses to invest in their education and pursue opportunities in pediatric healthcare facilities so they can develop the clinical skills and core competencies necessary to care for patients under the age of 18 years old.
At 西瓜电影天堂, aspiring nurses will find that our Division of Pre-Licensure Nursing offers several degree programs that can help them prepare for their career and fulfill their calling, centered on earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Both our online RN to BSN degree and online BSN to DNP Family Nurse Practitioner degree present nurses with an accelerated educational pathway that enables them to focus on the specialty areas that most interest them.
Learn more about our degree programs, and request information about our Christ-centered campus today.
