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The Concept of Child-Centred Care in Healthcare: A Scoping Review
Bernie Carter1, Sarah Young2, Karen Ford3
1Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK.
Insights
Child-centred care in nursing lacks a clear definition and consensus, despite its frequent mention. More robust evidence is needed to demonstrate its effectiveness and impact on children and healthcare systems.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare delivery
- Pediatric nursing
- Concept analysis
Background:
- Child-centred care is frequently discussed in nursing literature.
- A clear definition and conceptual clarity for child-centred care are currently lacking.
- Existing literature does not provide a consensus on the definition or application of child-centred care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the concept of child-centred care in healthcare.
- To explore the development and applicability of child-centred care.
- To identify the limitations and benefits of child-centred care for children's healthcare.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review methodology was employed.
- 2984 papers were initially screened for relevance.
- 21 papers were included in the final analysis after duplicate removal and screening.
Main Results:
- Child-centred care is identified as an emerging concept with ambiguity and poor definition.
- No clear consensus exists regarding the constituents of child-centred care.
- Limited robust evidence was found to demonstrate the impact and benefits of child-centred care.
Conclusions:
- Child-centred care requires a clear definition and robust evidence of effectiveness to be a sustainable model.
- Further research is necessary to establish the impact of child-centred care on children, families, and the healthcare system.
- To guide practice, child-centred care must demonstrate its value and effectiveness compared to other care models.
Abstract:
Although child-centred care is increasingly referred to within the nursing literature, a clear definition of child-centred care and clarity around the concept is yet to be achieved. The objectives of this review were to examine the following: (1) What constitutes the concept of child-centred care in healthcare? (2) How has the concept of child-centred care developed? (3) What is the applicability of child-centred care and what are its limitations? (4) How does the concept of child-centred care benefit and inform children's healthcare? In total, 2984 papers were imported for screening, and, following the removal of duplicates and screening, 21 papers were included in the scoping review. The findings suggest that child-centred care is an emerging, ambiguous poorly defined concept; no clear consensus exists about what constitutes child-centred care. Although it seems antithetical to argue against child-centred care, little robust evidence was identified that demonstrates the impact and benefit of child-centred care. If child-centred care is to be a sustainable, convincing model to guide practice and compete with other models of care, it needs to establish robust evidence of its effectiveness, the impact on children and their families, as well as the wider impacts on the healthcare system.
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