Improving the Lives of Children and Their Families—Integrating Clinical Research Into Everyday Pediatric Nursing Practice

Abstract

Gaining new insights and a better understanding of the health-related experiences of child r en and the i r families through research provides the foundation for the development of new intervention strategies to improve the quality of pediatric nursing care. INTEGRATING EVIDENCE FROM clinical research into pediatric nursing practice provides a method for improving the quality of pediatric nursing care, thereby improving the everyday lives of children and their families. The purpose of clinical nursing research is to generate and develop nursing knowledge providing evidence to guide nursing practice (Polit and Beck, 2012). Thus, it is essential for pediatric nurses to discover the power of research for improving the quality of care for children and their families by integrating new evidence into pediatric nursing practice (Christian, 2010a). Evidence is synthesized from clinical research providing foundational knowledge development for the advancement of pediatric nursing practice (Christian, 2012a). By translating evidence into pediatric nursing practice, the health of children and families is improved through better quality of nursing care (Hockenberry and Wilson, 2011). Therefore, translating clinical research and integrating evidence into everyday clinical practice result in improved quality of pediatric nursing care, as well as improved quality of life for children and their families (Christian, 2012b, 2012c). Moreover, research designed to evaluate knowledge gained from educational interventions for children, parents, and their families improves pediatric nurses' understanding of how children and their parents experience health and illness, cope with and adapt to chronic conditions, manage the everyday challenges of caregiving, and access the healthcare system to achieve the best quality of care for their children (Christian, 2010a, 2010b, 2011a, 2011b). In turn, this new evidence leads to the development of innovative pediatric nursing care practices that not only