SchoolNurse.com : Pediatric Nursing Advances

Pediatric Nursing Advances

Pediatric nursing practice has been influenced over the past 25 years by technology (e.g., vaccines, fetal surgery), consumer expectations, costs of care for complex conditions, staffing models such as 'partnership care' with RNs and unlicensed care technicians, managed care plans, and case management. Nurses have expanded their role, ensured clinical competence, and maintained a caring environment.

Certification and credentialing promote clinical competence. Presently 28 nursing organizations provide specialized credentialing, e.g., pediatric nurse practitioner, school nurse certification, and developmental disability nursing. Pediatric nurses work within specialty organizations and collaborations to influence legislation and develop practice guidelines at federal, professional and agency levels to establish what a reasonably prudent practitioner would be expected to do for safe and necessary care. Research is being applied to healthcare guidelines; e.g., new pain management standards introduced pain assessment as the "fifth vital sign."

Since the introduction of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA, 1973) classification, nursing classification systems have been created to define, organize, and guide practice. Care plans evolved in the 1990's, now emphasizing practice guidelines (also called critical pathways) that define expected client outcomes, resources use, and provider interventions.

Family-centered care is the dominant model of pediatric care; the family unit is the focus of all interventions.
What's ahead? Challenges remain with issues such as teen pregnancies and medically fragile students, downsized staffing, and cultural diversity of patient groups. Costs prompt shorter hospital stays, but new communication technology transmits health status data through telephone lines to monitoring nurses, allowing children to be discharged earlier to home (and school).

Interdisciplinary collaboration is vital for health care delivery, working as equal partners in a united manner to promote child health. Pediatric nurses need to keep pace with technological advances, participate in professional organizations, seek certification, develop standards to guide practices, and deliver family-centered care.

(Bowden V. Am J Mat/Child Nurs 2000;25(6):318-321)

Comment: I was struck by the high number of nursing organizations addressing pediatrics, such as the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (ddna.org) which supports quality care throughout the life span. -J.O.






			Pediatric Nursing Advances Pediatric nursing practice has been influenced over the past 25 years by technology (e.g., vaccines, fetal surgery), consumer expectations, costs of care for complex conditions, staffing models such as 'partnership care' with RNs and unlicensed care technicians, managed care plans, and case management. Nurses have expanded their role, ensured clinical competence, and maintained a caring environment. Certification and credentialing promote clinical competence. Presently 28 nursing organizations provide specialized credentialing, e.g., pediatric nurse practitioner, school nurse certification, and developmental disability nursing. Pediatric nurses work within specialty organizations and collaborations to influence legislation and develop practice guidelines at federal, professional and agency levels to establish what a reasonably prudent practitioner would be expected to do for safe and necessary care. Research is being applied to healthcare guidelines; e.g., new pain management standards introduced pain assessment as the "fifth vital sign." Since the introduction of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA, 1973) classification, nursing classification systems have been created to define, organize, and guide practice. Care plans evolved in the 1990's, now emphasizing practice guidelines (also called critical pathways) that define expected client outcomes, resources use, and provider interventions. Family-centered care is the dominant model of pediatric care; the family unit is the focus of all interventions. What's ahead? Challenges remain with issues such as teen pregnancies and medically fragile students, downsized staffing, and cultural diversity of patient groups. Costs prompt shorter hospital stays, but new communication technology transmits health status data through telephone lines to monitoring nurses, allowing children to be discharged earlier to home (and school). Interdisciplinary collaboration is vital for health care delivery, working as equal partners in a united manner to promote child health. Pediatric nurses need to keep pace with technological advances, participate in professional organizations, seek certification, develop standards to guide practices, and deliver family-centered care. (Bowden V. Am J Mat/Child Nurs 2000;25(6):318-321) Comment: I was struck by the high number of nursing organizations addressing pediatrics, such as the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (ddna.org) which supports quality care throughout the life span. -J.O.



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