Care of the Hospitalized Child Terri Mathew RN, BSN Nurse Educator

Implementation Strategies Allow rooming-in for parents/caregiver of all children Include parent/caregiver in the patient’s care as appropriate Flexible visiting hours for parents/caregivers Make the child’s environment welcoming and familiar Acknowledge there are varying types of family units

Role of the Nurse Create an environment conducive to maintaining family strength, integrity and unity Support parents/caregivers as they decide to stay with their child or not Develop trusting, goal directed relationships with families Observe the parent-child relationship Teach parents knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to function effectively with hospitalized child Help parents adapt to the situation

Environment conducive to maintaining family strength, integrity and unity Maintain a positive nurse-parent-child relationship Include siblings in planning interventions Supplement the family’s abilities and role while achieving the common goal of the child’s welfare

Assist parents with decision making about when to stay with their child Parent/caregiver’s presence is especially important if the child is age 5 or younger if they are able. If they are not able to stay maintain a nonjudgmental and supportive approach Parent/caregiver’s decision are influenced by needs of other family members

Develop trusting, goal directed relationships with families Obtain a thorough nursing history Plan mutual realistic goals with the family Recognize and acknowledge the care the child receives from the parents/caregiver

Observe the parent-child relationship Evaluate the degree of participation and effectiveness of the parents in physical and emotional care Observe the parents’/caregiver’s attitudes, skills and techniques provided to the child and the child’s response to them Assess what teaching needs to be done Detect & respond to actual and potential problems in the parent-child relationship

Information provided by Lippincott Manual Found on the nursing unit or on the intranet