Nursing students' views on trauma-informed pediatric nursing care and family-centered care

Abstract

PurposeWe studied the views of nursing students on family-centered care (FCC) and their knowledge, opinions, self-rated competence, current practice, and perceived implementation barriers with regard to trauma-informed pediatric nursing care. MethodsThis survey was a descriptive correlational study. The sample consisted of 261 nursing students, 3rd and 4th years, who had completed the Child Health and Diseases Nursing Course. The data were obtained using the “Student Information Form,” “Family-Centered Care Attitude Scale,” and “trauma-informed care (TIC) Provider Survey.” ResultsNursing students were knowledgeable and held favorable opinions about TIC. The survey showed that students with higher levels and those with a hospitalization experience during childhood had higher scores regarding TIC. A positive relationship was found between the students' TIC to mean score and FCC attitude mean score. ConclusionsNursing students are not competent to practice TIC, especially with pediatric patients. Therefore, they need to develop relevant skills for helping pediatric patients. Practice implicationsEfforts to improve nursing students' trauma-informed pediatric care should highlight specific skills related to helping pediatric patients manage emotional responses to difficult medical experiences. By integrating TIC into the baccalaureate curricula, nursing educators can provide the students with appropriate skills and facilities so that they can provide holistic and highly effective care to highly vulnerable patients.