Pediatric nursing health care delivery plan for humanitarian missions in developing countries

In today's health care environment, pediatric nurses are being called upon to perform humanitarian missions in tropical developing countries. During these missions, pediatric nurses often are faced with providing short-term health care to children in the villages of the developing countries visited. These efforts involve a group of pediatric health care personnel traveling to a poor, medically underserved area; establishing provisional clinics; and seeing a large number of children over several days. Usually only the most necessary resources are taken along, including varying amounts of medications and supplies and possibly minimal laboratory capabilities. To date, health care delivery plans for pediatric nurses as part of an interdisciplinary team on these missions are unavailable. This article provides literature and experience-based guidance for pediatric nurses performing humanitarian missions around the world in tropical developing countries to provide care in a manner that is safe, appropriate, and offers the greatest likelihood of benefit to the children in these countries.