Children & Families

Resources for Children and Families

WFPICCS supports a patient and family centred philosophy of care where patients and their families are treated as partners in the provision of health care.

In the paediatric setting this means that parents and families play a central role in their child’s healthcare management, care is planned around the whole family not just the individual child, and all the family members are recognized as care recipients.

The principles of family centred care in the paediatric intensive care should be grounded in the collaborative relationships between healthcare professionals and parents.

Multiethnic parents giving children piggyback ride

Application of family centred care principles to practice include; respecting the needs and preferences of individual families, providing information and education, coordinating care, ensuring physical care is optimally provided, meeting each family’s needs for emotional support and involving parents in decision making.

Parental satisfaction indicates the quality of care provided and should be measured.

Parent Resources

Here are some useful links that provide helpful information and guide for parents with critically ill children:

http://www.efcni.org/index.php?id=101

EFCNI provides detailed information on preterm birth for parents and others interested in prematurity and introduces the different national as well as global parents’ organizations.

http://www.icusteps.org/

ICUsteps provides an intensive care guide covering from admission through to rehabilitation for patients and relatives.

http://www.ipfcc.org/

The Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care provides leadership to advance the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care in hospitals and other health care settings.

References and resources

1. Shields L, Pratt J, Hunter J. Family-centred care: a review of qualitative studies. J Clin Nurs. 2006; 15:1317-1323. DOI:org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01433.x.

2.Latour J, van Goudoever J, Hazelzet J. Parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2008; 55:779-790. DOI:10.1016/j.pcl.2008.02.013.

3. Latour J, Hazelzet J, Heijden A. Parent satisfaction in pediatric intensive care: A critical appraisal of the literature. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 2005; 6(6):578-684. DOI:10.1097/01.PCC.0000164637.88469.74.

4. Latour J, Goudoever H, Duivenvoorden H, Albers M, Van Dam N, Dullaart E, et al. Construction and psychometric testing of the EMPATHIC qustionnaire measuring parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit. Intensive Care Med. 2011; 37:310-318. DOI:10.1007/s00134-010-2042-y.

5. Davidson J, Powers K, Hedayat K, Tieszen M, Kon A, Shepard E, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for support of the family in the patient-centered intensive care unit : American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force 2004-2005. Crit Care Med. 2007; 35(2):605-622. DOI:10.1097/01.CCM.0000254067.14607.EB.

6. Institute for patient-and-family-centred care. [Internet]. n.d. [cited Dec 6, 2011]. Available from: http://www.ipfcc.org/faq.html.

7.Meyer EC, Ritholz MD, Burns JP, Truog RD. Improving the Quality of End-of-Life Care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Parents’ Priorities and Recommendations. Pediatrics. 2006; 117(3):649-657. DOI:10.1542/peds.2005-0144.

8.Australian Institute for Patient and Family Centred Care. [internet]. n.d. [cited Dec 7, 2011]. Available from: http://www.aipfcc.org.au/care.html.

9. Shields L, Huaqiong Z, Pratt J, Taylor M, Hunter J, Pascoe E. Family-centred care for hospitalised children aged 0-12yrs. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2012; Issue 10(Art. No.:CD004811) DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD004811.pub3.