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Making the invisible, visible
1Early Intervention Unit, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, The Mary Sheridan Centre, Canterbury.
Insights
Caring for hospitalized children with special needs requires addressing magnified difficulties and unique disability-related requirements. Nurses should focus on the child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Disability Studies
- Healthcare for Special Needs Children
Background:
- Hospitalization presents amplified challenges for children with special needs.
- Parents of children with complex needs face significant caregiving burdens, extending beyond hospital admission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the multifaceted needs of hospitalized children with special needs.
- To guide nursing practice in providing holistic care for this population.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of existing literature on pediatric hospitalization and special needs care.
- Synthesis of best practices in nursing for children with disabilities.
Main Results:
- Special needs children experience intensified difficulties during hospitalization.
- Nursing care must encompass general pediatric needs alongside disability-specific requirements.
- A strengths-based approach, focusing on a child's capabilities, is crucial.
Conclusions:
- Nurses must recognize and address the dual nature of needs (general pediatric and disability-specific) in hospitalized children.
- Emphasizing a child's abilities over limitations is essential for effective and supportive care.
- Integrated family-centered care models are vital for optimizing outcomes for children with special needs.
Abstract:
Special needs children experience all the difficulties experienced by any child admitted to hospital although these are hugely magnified. Parents continue to carry the burden of care, even after hospital admission, when their child has complex needs. Nurses need to remember that these children have all the needs of any child in addition to needs specific to their disability. Nurses should focus what the child can do, rather than what they cannot do.