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Abstract
Introduction: In pediatric hospitals there are varying opinions regarding who is part of the healthcare team. Each specialty has a different view on the various aspects of care.
Objective: The study explores healthcare providers' diverse points-of view on stress and comparts coping strategies to obtain the most effective way to reduce stress in pediatric patients with a chronic condition.
Method: The study used a qualitative research design. The sample population included six nurses and five child life specialists who have significant experience in pediatrics. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. To identify common themes, a content/data analysis was performed
Results: Six themes were recognised and led to the identification of differences and similarities between nurses and child life specialists, both of whom reported fear of the unknown as the biggest stressor for the pediatric patient. The act of healthcare workers lying to the child as an attempt to reduce stress on the child was reported as an ineffective coping strategy. Nurses reported crying as a symptom of stress, while child life specialists reported crying as an effective coping strategy. The care of a child coping under stress needs to be a collaborative group effort. Most professionals reported that situations would have been conducted more efficiently if better communication had been in place. Family-centered care was perceived as valuable for improving pediatric patient coping mechanisms.
Implications: The discovered data help to identify the importance of collaborating with all available resources to obtain the best cart possible for patients. This article provides effective coping strategies to care for patients. It will help nurses and other healthcare professionals understand how child life specialists help chronically-ill patients cope effectively with stress.
Introduction
Every day, children are hospitalized due to chronic conditions. These children are ripped from the normal and carefree routine of childhood and trapped in an up-ended world where doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dietitians, nurses and child life specialists come streaming in and out of their small rooms poking, prodding, and talking to them in foreign medical language. Psychosocial attitudes toward illness, body image, and self-worth are all factors that affect the pediatric patient's ability to cope with stress (McCaffery, 2006). Stress levels can be increased for anyone admitted to a hospital, and even...
