Nursing Staff's Perceptions of Quality of Care for Children in Emergency Departments—High Respect, Low Resources

Abstract

PurposeTo describe the quality of care for children in emergency departments (ED) as perceived by the nursing staff, and to compare the quality of care for children in a pediatric ED and in a general ED and to identify care quality factors that predict nursing staff's satisfaction with pediatric care in an ED. Design and MethodsA cross-sectional survey study was performed using the 41-item Children Revised Humane Caring Scale (CRHCS) to collect data (n=147) from acute hospitals' pediatric EDs and general EDs in November 2015. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. ResultsNurses evaluated the quality of professional practice to be high. Children were treated in a respectful and friendly fashion, and received help when needed. The nurses perceived a lack of human resources in the studied EDs. Nurses in pediatric EDs gave more positive evaluations of the quality of care for children than nurses in general EDs. Positive assessments of professional practice, interdisciplinary collaboration and human resources by nursing staff predicted higher satisfaction with the quality of ED care for children. ConclusionsThe quality of children's care seemed to be higher in the pediatric ED than in the general ED. Key predictors of quality in children's care are professional practices of nursing staff, interdisciplinary collaboration and adequate human resources. Practice ImplicationsIn EDs, children should be treated by nursing staff and facilities designated for them. Pediatric nursing and teamwork skills should be maintained in the training of nurses.