Journal of pediatric nursing
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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the third leading cause of infant mortality in the United States and the leading cause of death among infants 28-364 days of age. The "Back to Sleep" program was implemented in 1992 to promote supine sleeping in efforts to prevent SIDS. Along with this implementation came several consequences that are avoidable in infants. The purposes of this article are to describe the Back to Sleep program and its intended purpose, to identify the adverse consequences, and to develop a teaching program for nurse practitioners to use with parents that will both promote safe sleeping and reduce the untoward consequences of the back to sleep program while maintaining the integrity of the SIDS prevention advice.
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The changing health care environment and provider shortage have required acute care pediatric nurse practitioners (AC PNPs) to play a vital role in hospital-based, subspecialty surgical services. The AC PNP is part of a multidisciplinary team providing care for children with congenital heart disease after heart surgery. The AC PNP provides high-quality, cost-effective care to acute and critically ill children, optimizing hospital throughput while ensuring patient safety. This article focuses on the history and emerging role of the AC PNP in the context of the Magnet component of transformational leadership, the physician/nurse practitioner collaborative practice, and the development of the AC PNP role in cardiothoracic surgery at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
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Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children and is a significant health disparity for African American children and their families. This article provides current statistics that clearly define the problem of asthma and explains the relevance of this health problem for pediatric nurses. ⋯ The individual, sociocultural, and environmental characteristics of asthma are described. The impact and implications for pediatric nurses in the roles of (a) coordinator of care, (b) child/family advocate, and (c) evaluator of care are explained.
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The aim of this study was to review literature on unaccompanied hospitalized children and report the incidence at a pediatric hospital over 2 weeks. The philosophical model of most pediatric hospitals is family-centered care (FCC) and reducing separation effects. ⋯ Children and parents express that they want to be together, but many parents have obstacles to participation including increased expectations. The incidence study found that about one third of children were sometimes unaccompanied.