International journal of nursing studies
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Meta Analysis
Communicating inherited genetic risk between parent and child: a meta-thematic synthesis.
Communicating genetic risk is a distressing process for families affected by inherited genetic conditions. This systematic review identifies and explores the challenges faced by parents and their (non)affected or at risk children caused by the (non)disclosure of genetic risk information. ⋯ Disclosure of genetic risk information within families is a highly complex and affective process often resulting in delayed disclosure. This can lead to increased family tensions generated by misunderstanding, blame and secrecy. Early, age appropriate disclosure can better prepare children for future considerations such as care planning and reproductive decision-making. It also contributes to effective coping strategies that promote enhanced adaptation and emotional well being. Early disclosure also reduces parental anxieties concerning disclosure from an unwitting source. Research shows that children and young people want their parents to engage in open and honest discussions about the genetic condition. Therefore to help facilitate effective family communication health professionals should provide family centred care and better emotional and informational support.
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Burn injury is one of the major traumas that a child can experience. Parents of burn-injured children experience anxiety, depression, guilt and post traumatic stress disorders as they care for their burn-injured children. Such empirical evidence related to effects of burns on parents and parenting process is unavailable from low and middle income countries like India. ⋯ Encouraging and assisting parents in caring for their children instead of blaming is a vital component of paediatric burn care. Parents will benefit from ongoing assessment and psychological interventions that will provide emotional support. Studying the perceptions of health professionals and the burn-injured children will help in further clarification of blame related issues and developing a parenting theory.
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Involvement of family in bedside rounds is one strategy to implement family-centered care to help families get clear information about their child, and be actively involved in decision-making about care. However in developing countries such as Pakistan, daily bedside rounds include the physician, residents, medical students and a nurse/technician. Parents are not currently a part of these rounds. ⋯ Parents were satisfied with both forms of rounds; however, they appeared to have a greater preference for family-centered rounds than health care professionals. Family-centered rounds were a resource for Pakistani parents, enabling direct communication with the medical team without impacting on the time required to complete rounds. Family-centered rounds may improve quality of care such as decreasing length of stay or preventing critical incidents.
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Parents with young children often worry about whether or not to seek medical help for a sick child. Previous research identified parents' anxieties surrounding help seeking from health services but did not explore or explain the underlying psychosocial processes taking place in families at these times. ⋯ The grounded theory indicates the need for significant investment in the training of nurses and other health professionals to reduce parents' (and other patients') experiences of felt or enacted criticism and the consequent hidden anxiety. When parents are worried about their child's health, they need to be able to seek help from health professionals without fear of criticism. These conclusions are primarily limited to universal health care environments.