Journal of pediatric nursing
-
One of the most difficult situations encountered by pediatric nurses is dealing with families experiencing the death of a child. This article describes the development of the H. O. ⋯ S. Program (Healing of Parents Experiencing Sorrow), a comprehensive bereavement program designed to assist families who have experienced pediatric loss. This program has been well-received by both families and staff and has enabled staff to interact more confidently with families at a very difficult time in their lives.
-
The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) hospitalization of a child is stressful for parents. Helping parents to decrease their stress is warranted so that they can function in a vital role that is therapeutic to them and their critically ill child. Although many interventions have been recommended to help parents decrease their stress, only the Nursing Mutual Participation Model of Care (NMPMC) has been tested in the clinical setting. ⋯ The dependent measure was the Parental Stressor Scale:Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS:PICU) administered within 24 to 48 hours of PICU admission, every 48 hours thereafter, and 24 hours after PICU discharge. The results indicated that parents in the experimental group perceived less stress than the control group, specifically the stress related to alterations in parental role in the PICU setting. Implications for nursing care are discussed.
-
This study examined the intensity of pain children experience following surgical procedures, the relationship between analgesic administration patterns and perceived level of pain, and children's affective, cognitive, and sensory interpretation of their experiences with pain. The sample included 24 children between 7 and 11 years of age who were hospitalized after abdominal, orthopedic, or urologic surgery. ⋯ On the third day after surgery, children were interviewed about their experiences with pain. The findings provide insight into the content of children's fears and concerns when they have postoperative pain, and how they interpret their responses and the responses of others in the management of their pain experience.
-
This article explores the presence of chronic sorrow in families of chronically ill children and applies role theory concepts in the understanding of this phenomenon. Research findings in the area of chronic sorrow, family adaptation, and role theory are used to formulate propositions specific to the application of role theory in the study of chronic sorrow. The clinical and research applicability for nurses working with families of chronically disabled children are discussed to assist in providing quality family-nursing care.