Biomedical subjects

V L Hendricks-Ferguson

Publications and source records attributed to V L Hendricks-Ferguson.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Crisis intervention strategies when caring for families of children with cancer.

A diagnosis of childhood cancer is an unexpected life event that often precipitates a situational crisis for all family members. Required cancer treatments and other ongoing stressors for both child and family will significantly disrupt the family's equilibrium and well-being. An increasingly important role of the pediatric oncology nurse is to facilitate crisis intervention strategies that help families adjust to the psychosocial stresses associated with childhood cancer, yet many nurses have little or no training in crisis theory and/or crisis intervention strategies. This article reviews family crisis theories and outlines crisis intervention strategies that are appropriate for the family of a child with cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Laparoscopic splenectomy for splenic sequestration crisis.

Medical and surgical advances have improved the treatment of splenic sequestration crisis in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Rapid enlargement of the spleen can result from sickled blood cels being trapped in the spleen, which can be life threatening. The laparoscopic splenectomy procedure using the lateral approach has been adapted successfully for the pediatric patient since 1993. Children with SCD who have a history of a splenic sequestration crisis usually are scheduled for an elective splenectomy procedure after the first documented crisis to reduce the risk of death. Some key benefits of this new surgical approach include a shortened hospital stay, decreased postoperative pain, and faster recovery and return to normal activities for the child with SCD.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1997

An analysis of the concept of hope in the adolescent with cancer.

Nursing application of the concept of hope in the pediatric oncology clinical setting is currently in its infancy. This article presents a systematic analysis of the concept of hope for use by the pediatric oncology nurse in the care of the pediatric adolescent oncology patient. The literature review addresses health and illness states as areas significant to the analysis and application of hope. This article defines critical attributes, antecedents, and consequences of hope; constructs case examples (a model, a borderline, and contrary cases); includes an operational definition of adolescent hopefulness; and summarizes empirical referents of hope. Through clinical assessment of hope in the pediatric adolescent oncology patient and ongoing research of hope in this population, evaluation of the potential benefits of hope to this population's adaptation to varying health states will be further demonstrated.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Selective dorsal rhizotomy to decrease spasticity in cerebral palsy.

Until recently, treatment of muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy has consisted of physical therapy, bracing, and surgery to release and lengthen tight tendons of contracted muscles and correct muscle contractures. Selective dorsal rhizotomy is a surgical intervention that selectively cuts the spinal sensory nerve rootlets carrying the most abnormal signals, thereby reducing spasticity in all muscle groups of the affected extremities. It is not a cure for spastic cerebral palsy. Children who have this procedure can gain significant increases in knee and thigh ranges of motion and increased strength and muscle control if they have good family support and follow through with intensive postoperative physical therapy.

Cerebral Palsy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Update of the health care management needs of infants with sickle cell disease.

This article describes the characteristics, clinical manifestations, and health care management of infants with sickle cell disease. Also discussed are parent education issues and stressors related to coping with the health care management needs of infants with sickle cell disease. Special emphasis is given to literature focused on the concept of anticipatory grief often experienced by parents of chronically ill children.

Adaptation, Psychological↗