How hospitalized child imagine a good paediatric nurse?

Abstract

Objective - The research was conducted with the aim of examining how hospitalized children imagine a good paediatric nurse (PN) as well as to check if there is a difference about that imagined picture among children with acute and chronic diseases.

Subjects and methods - The research was conducted through study section and it included 80 children hospitalized at the Department of Paediatrics in Tuzla, from April 17, 2009 to January 8, 2010, aged from 8 to 15 of both genders, and who were chosen randomly. The children were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 40 children who were hospitalized because of an acute disease and the other group consisted of 40 children with a chronic disease. Using a self structured questionnaire the authors of the study interviewed the children in the presence of their parents. In the statistical processing of data the results were presented in absolute and relative numbers, and the statistical significance of differences was tested with the χ2 test. The difference among the examined groups was considered significant if P < 0.05.

Results - The difference in answers among children with acute and chronic disease about addressing a PN, a bad mood or impatience of a PN and about the most important characteristics of a PN was statistically significant, while the answers to questions about the facial expression of a PN and about previous experiences with a PN, parents did not find significant.

Conclusion - Children in both examined groups imagine a good PN as a person who should have a happy and kind facial expression, as well as the characteristics of a good person and an expert and a person who will provide security and support for children and their parents.