Quality in pediatric nursing care: children's expectations

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Children's perspectives are often overlooked in pediatric care quality assessments.
• Parental evaluations typically represent the child's experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore children's expectations of pediatric nursing care quality.
• To understand the child's viewpoint on effective nursing.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of interviews with 40 children (20 preschool, 20 school-aged) in Finland.
• Participants included children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and those on a surgical ward.

Main Results:

• Children's expectations centered on the nurse (humane, reliable, humorous, colorful attire), nursing activities (entertainment, education, care, safety), and the environment.
• Children desired both nurses and parents to participate in care activities.
• Peer interaction was also identified as a component of good care.

Conclusions:

• Children possess valuable insights into pediatric nursing care quality.
• Incorporating children's perspectives can enhance the development of high-quality pediatric nursing services.