Child health nursing is an area of nursing and medical practice with a focus on providing holistic care to infants, children and adolescents. It differs from paediatrics, in that the emphasis in paediatrics is ill-health and the alleviation of symptoms or disease.

One of the major principles of paediatric nursing is the concept of family centred care. Paediatric nurses function to support the family by providing nursing care that the family cannot perform, educating and supporting them to maintain their normal caring activities and actively viewing the parents as partners in the care process.

External links

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• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the UK

More on [ Child health nursing ]

Journal of Child Health Care current issue

FUNdamentally important: humour and fun as caring and practice
Ford, K., Tesch, L., Carter, B. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:57:01 -0800

'I didn't really like it, but it sounded exciting': Admission to hospital for surgery from the perspectives of children
Ford, K. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:57:01 -0800
It is a mark of respect for children that their views around their healthcare are listened to and considered. To date, too little attention has been paid to children’s views and experiences of admission to hospital for surgery. This paper presents findings from a constructivist grounded theory study of children’s experiences of admission to hospital for surgery (from their perspectives). Age appropriate data collection techniques were used and included interviews with children and their drawings and stories. Ten children, aged 6–12 years, who were admitted to hospital for surgery participated in the research. The children were able to clearly articulate aspects of their experience, including their fears and anxieties, the things they enjoyed and the things that assisted them to cope with their experience. The substantive theory developed was ‘children’s reframing of their sense of selves to incorporate the experiences of hospitalization and surgery’. Children require information and support to alleviate their anxieties around the time of their surgery. With pressures on children’s services, increased day surgery rates and shorter admissions, nurses who care for children around this time are challenged to find ways of knowing each child’s story and the fears that they have.
When food is neither good nor bad: Children's evaluations of transformed and combined food products
Thompson, K., Blunden, S., Brindal, E., Hendrie, G. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:57:01 -0800
This study examined children’s subjective perceptions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. Four interactive focus groups were conducted with 27 children aged 5–9 in South Australia. Each focus group was engaged in a food picture sorting activity. Whilst most children were able to discriminate good and bad whole foods or ingredients, they were less able to agree at a group level on the categorization of combined and transformed food products with which they are most likely to be presented in their ‘everyday’ lives. We discuss this confusion using Mary Douglas’s (1966) theory of ‘matter out of place’. Accordingly, health promotion messages should cultivate the skills required to reconcile the co-presence of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ingredients in one product or meal.

Children's Health

Many Hits, Rather Than A Big One, Pose Greatest Concussion Risk
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:57:00 -0500
High school football players experienced brain changes long before they had symptoms of concussion. The findings suggest that concussions come from cumulative damage, researchers say.
Computerized Tests For Concussions May Be Unreliable
Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:09:00 -0500
Computerized testing of athletes for concussion isn't a reliable gauge of their brain health or fitness to return to play, according to new research. The computerized tests are used in the NFL and NHL, and in many colleges and high schools.
Parents Cheat On Booster Seats, Despite Safety Risks
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:24:00 -0500
Parents don't always use booster seats for children, even though they're required in 47 states. Only half insisted their child use a booster when riding in the family car with boosterless friends.

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