Copyright (c) 2008 University of Connecticut All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles Recent documents in School of Nursing Scholarly Works en-us Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:07:48 PDT 3600 http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles/50 http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles/50 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:09:38 PDT Play is an important part of children's growth. It contributes to the development of physically healthy and emotionally stable children. When a child's health is compromised and leads to hospitalization, play is used as both a distraction and recreational tool. It helps the child understand, accept, and deal with the hospitalization. It also contributes to healthy growth and development. The role of play in well children is compared to those in hospitalized children. Rouba Taha http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles/49 http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles/49 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:30:53 PDT The philosophy of family-centered care is "an approach to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of healthcare that is grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among patients, families and healthcare practitioners" (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1996-2008). The word "family" refers to "two or more persons who are related in any way-biologically, legally, or emotionally" (Institute for Family-Centered Care). It is patients and families, who define those included in their families, which usually in pediatrics includes parents or guardians. Sarah B. Green http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles/48 http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/son_articles/48 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:38:18 PDT The illness of a child can have a traumatic affect on both families and the child. Pediatric care has adopted the philosophy of a family-centered care approach in order to maximize the well being of pediatric patients. The philosophy is founded on the collaboration of the family, nurses and hospital staff to plan, provide, and evaluate care. The philosophy is grounded on several principles that revolve around the central idea that the family is the constant in a child's life (Neal et al., 2007). Nurses must work with the family to develop the best plan of care for a child. Parents are experts in their child's care and know more about their child then we can ever learn through assessments or charts. The family is also the child's main source of support providing stability in what can be an otherwise traumatic period in a child's life. The presence of the family during health related procedures can significantly reduce both the child's and parent's anxiety (Neff, 2003) Decreased anxiety from the patient and family decreases the stress on healthcare workers, positively affecting their ability to provide treatment. In essence the nurse must attend to both the needs of the family and child in order to maximize a child's outcomes. Ashley Saleeba