Abstract
Family Centered care is a model that is practiced and encouraged in child health care. It considers family as partners and collaborators in care of children. It aims at involving family in all aspects of child care. Family centered care also mentions involvement of child. However, emphasis is given more on family than child and does not take into account the older child’s capacity for independent decision making and right to privacy. As such, child’s needs are missed out. With child centered care, children are involved and supported at all levels of care based on their age and developmental stage. This paper aims to stress the importance of involving children within family centered care. Involving children in their care, makes them feel less threatened by the health care professional and their self esteem is promoted. Currently, no studies have been identified in Malawi that demonstrates full partnership between the family, child and the nurse. Furthermore, Family Centered Care and Child Centered Care as models are not fully practiced. It is therefore important to practice both family and child centered care in child health care if the needs of both family and children are to be addressed concurrently.
Highlights
Centered care (FCC) is a model of care that is encouraged in the care of sick children [1] [2]
Franck & Callery (2004), Coyne (1996), Ahmann & Johnson (2000) and Shields et al (2007) assert that Family Centered care (FCC) stresses the importance of considering families and significant others as partners and collaborators in the health care of children and care of family members [1] [4]-[6]
A significant other could be a sibling to the sick child [7]
Summary
Centered care (FCC) is a model of care that is encouraged in the care of sick children [1] [2]. Franck & Callery (2004), Coyne (1996), Ahmann & Johnson (2000) and Shields et al (2007) assert that FCC stresses the importance of considering families and significant others as partners and collaborators in the health care of children and care of family members [1] [4]-[6]. To improve parent outcomes, structured education interventions and necessary emotional support should be applied in FCC [11] This is emphasized by Shields and Tanner (2004) who stress that nurses should be sensitive towards the parents’ individual needs and recommend that nurses should take a deliberate effort to know and understand the family they are working with [12]. With acute shortage of health care workers in Malawi, Family centered and child centred care are significant during hospitalization. FCC and Child Centered Care as models are not fully practiced
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