Childrens participation in the PICU from the nurses' perspective

Abstract

Children who are critically ill are vulnerable and the nurse has a responsibility to meet the child's needs in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The aim was to explore the vulnerable child's participation and how it can be understood through the nurses’ perspective in the nursing care intervention. The study design was an exploratory inductive qualitative approach. Data collection was done through observations and interviews. The data from the observations were analyzed through interpretive phenomenology. The affective elements were viewed as essential for uncover how children participate in the PICU. Three themes emerged through the analysis: Mediated participation, Bodily participation and Participation by proxy. They all highlight different aspect of the vulnerable child's way of participating in the nursing care given, through nurses’ awareness and situated salience. The concept participation should be redefined and broadened; as participation can present itself through the child’s body in diverse ways.