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Biomedical subjects

Judith Hunter

Publications and source records attributed to Judith Hunter.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Family centred care: a review of qualitative studies.

AIM: To review systematically qualitative studies, which were found during a literature search for a Cochrane systematic review of the use of family centred care in children's hospitals. BACKGROUND: Family centred care has become a cornerstone of paediatric practice, however, its effectiveness is not known. No single definition exists, rather a list of elements that constitute family centred care. However, it is recognized to involve the parents in care planning for a child in health services. A new definition is presented here. METHODS: The papers were found in wide range of databases, by hand searching and by contacting the authors where necessary, using terms given in detail in the protocol in the Cochrane Library, in 2004. Qualitative studies could not be used for statistical analysis, but are still important to the review and so are described separately in this paper. RESULTS: Negotiation between staff and families, perceptions held by both parents and staff roles influenced the delivery of family centred care. A sub-theme of cost of family centred care to families and staffs was discovered and this included both financial and emotional costs. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed to generate evidence about family centred care in situations arising from modern models of care in which family centred care is thought to be an inherent part, but which leave families with the care of sick children with little or no support. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Family centred care is said to be used widely in practice. More research is needed to ensure that is it being implemented correctly.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Parents' and staff's perceptions of parental needs during a child's admission to hospital: an English perspective.

The aim of this research was to compare perceptions of parental needs held by parents of hospitalized children and the staff caring for them, so that potential communication breakdown could be avoided. A well-trialled tool was used with a convenience sample in paediatric facilities in a National Health Service trust in north-east England. Some differences were found between parents and staff for scores for perceived importance of the 51 needs that were included in the questionnaire, and whether or not they were being satisfactorily met during the child's hospital admission, but there were no consistent patterns, so it is difficult to draw conclusions. Parents declared themselves more independent than the staff perceived them to be. Such findings facilitate improvements in communication between parents and staff and can be included in education programmes for both.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Who owns the child in hospital? A preliminary discussion.

AIM: To 'own' a person is considered an infringement of human rights, but we suggest that concepts of ownership influence interactions between parents and staff when a child is admitted to hospital. This paper aims to stimulate debate and contains an explanation of the exploration of the literature for research and discussion of ownership of the child. METHOD: A wide variety of library indexes, databases and populist media were examined although it was impossible to examine all literature which may have contained references to this topic, and, apart from databases which contained abstracts in English, we could not include literature written in any language other than English, Swedish, and Icelandic. FINDINGS: We found no research that examines how concepts of ownership of a child affects communication between health professionals and parents and, ultimately, the delivery of health care. This paper begins discussion on the issues. DISCUSSION: Historical literature shows that ownership of humans has been a part of many cultures, and parents were once considered to own their children. Ownership of another has legal connotations, for instance in guardianship struggles of children during marriage breakup and in ethical debates over surrogacy and products of assisted conception. Within health care, it becomes a contentious issue in transplantation of body parts, in discourse on autonomy and informed consent, and for religious groups who refuse blood transfusions. In health care, models such as family centred care and partnership in care depend on positive communication between parents and staff. If a hospital staff member feels that he/she owns a child for whom he/she is caring, then conflict between the staff member and the parents over who has the 'best interests of the child' at heart is possible. CONCLUSION: We encourage debate about concepts of who owns the hospitalized child - the parents or the staff? Should it be argued at all? Is the whole concept of ownership of another, be it adult or child, the ethical antithesis to modern beliefs about human rights? Comment on this issue is invited.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

British paediatric and American pediatric nurses: how well do we know each other?

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: To identify the similarities and differences between pediatric nurses in the United States and Britain, and to compare knowledge of each other's healthcare systems. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive comparative study of 55 U.S. pediatric nurses and 37 U.K. paediatric nurses. Knowledge tests were constructed as parallel forms of items about each healthcare system. "Self-knowledge" and "other-knowledge" scores were compared. RESULTS: British nurses' scores were higher for self and other than were U.S. nurses' scores. Individual items suggested that U.K. nurses were more aware of U.S. systems than U.S. nurses were of U.K. systems. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The U.S. and U.K. health systems are equally progressive, yet fundamentally different. To collaborate effectively, we must understand the similarities and differences.

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice↗