The Role of Pediatric Nurses During Preventable Adverse Event Disclosure: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Pediatric Nursing Research

Background:

• Preventable adverse events (PAEs) are common in pediatric care.
• Historically, physicians solely disclosed PAEs, but team-based approaches are emerging.
• The specific role of pediatric nurses in PAE disclosure remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the existing literature on the role of pediatric nurses in disclosing PAEs.
• To identify any described responsibilities or involvement of pediatric nurses in PAE disclosure processes.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review guided by the Arksey and O'Malley methodology.
• Reporting followed the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.

Main Results:

• A review of five articles revealed no specific reports or descriptions of pediatric nurses' roles in PAE disclosure.
• A significant gap exists in the literature regarding this topic.

Conclusions:

• The literature lacks information on pediatric nurses' roles in PAE disclosure.
• Emerging themes highlight the importance of team-based disclosure and emotional support.
• Further research is needed to define pediatric nurses' contributions to disclosure and emotional support.