Registered Nurses' Promotion of Children's Participation During Medication Follow-Up in Child and Adolescent...

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Nursing Practice
• Patient Participation

Background:

• Children receiving psychotropic medication require regular follow-ups.
• Registered nurses (RNs) in child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient care (CAPOC) units facilitate these medication follow-ups.
• A key RN responsibility is ensuring children actively participate in their own care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how RNs in Swedish CAPOC units promote children's participation in medication follow-ups.
• To understand the strategies RNs employ to foster child engagement during these appointments.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative thematic analysis of data from five focus group interviews.
• Involved a total of 32 RNs from Swedish CAPOC units.
• Examined how RNs adapt medication follow-up processes.

Main Results:

• RNs balance the needs and desires of both the child and parents.
• RNs recognize and acknowledge each child's unique circumstances and interests.
• RNs adjust communication to provide comprehensible information and encourage child self-expression.

Conclusions:

• RNs actively promote children's participation in medication follow-ups through adaptive strategies.
• Challenges exist in balancing child-centered care with parental needs and desires.
• Effective communication and individualized approaches are crucial for fostering participation in the RN-child-parent relationship.