Journal of pediatric health care : official publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners
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Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and disability among children in the United States despite the fact that child safety seats and seat belts can provide effective protection against serious and fatal injuries. Many child car seats and safety restraints are being used incorrectly. In addition, recent fatalities associated with children and air bags have heightened awareness of child passenger safety issues. Pediatric nurse practitioners are in an excellent position to offer motor vehicle occupant prevention strategies to families through health education and anticipatory guidance.
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J Pediatr Health Care · Nov 1996
Meanings of discomfort and fussy-irritable in infant pain assessment.
The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical meaning and customary use of the terms discomfort and fussy-irritable by pediatric nurses. This descriptive study used a purposive sample of 60 pediatric nurse participants who had a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and different lengths of pediatric nursing experience. Participants were interviewed as they assessed pain levels of videotaped infants. ⋯ Quantitative findings showed that: (a) assessments of fussy-irritable were consistent with qualitative findings, but assessments of discomfort were not, and (b) pediatric nurses are socialized concerning the clinical meanings of these terms between their first and fifth year of pediatric practice. This study identifies clinical meanings implicit in the assessment terms of "discomfort," "pain," and "fussy-irritable" and shows that individual participants did not always use terms in the same way. Inconsistent meanings and use of such terms can confound communication among nurses and hamper the learning of infant pain assessment by novices.
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This article provides pediatric nurse practitioners with an update on new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. These guidelines, published in 1991 and 1992, are changing the way asthma is managed in the United States. The article highlights portions of the guidelines, with special emphasis on pediatric implications.