Theoretical nursing conceptions in hospitalized child care: scoping review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Theory
• Pediatric Nursing
• Healthcare Research

Background:

• Theoretical concepts guide nursing practice, particularly for vulnerable populations like hospitalized children.
• Understanding the theoretical underpinnings of nursing care is crucial for evidence-based practice.
• A review of existing literature is needed to synthesize current theoretical applications in pediatric nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and categorize the theoretical concepts employed in nursing care for hospitalized children.
• To synthesize the range of theoretical frameworks utilized in pediatric nursing research.
• To establish the most frequently adopted theoretical conceptions in this context.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) methodology.
• Searches were performed across major databases (EBSCOhost, PubMed, SciELO, Web of Science), including gray literature and reference lists of relevant articles.
• Inclusion criteria focused on primary studies published between 2000-2019, in Portuguese or English, detailing theoretical nursing concepts in hospitalized children's care.

Main Results:

• A total of 21 studies were included in the review.
• Ten distinct theoretical conceptions of nursing were identified across the selected literature.
• Family-centered care emerged as the most frequently utilized theoretical framework in the care of hospitalized children.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights a significant variability in the theoretical conceptions applied to pediatric nursing care.
• Currently, there is insufficient evidence to advocate for the superiority of one theoretical conception over others.
• Future research directions point towards an integrative theoretical approach, merging child-centered and family-centered care models.