Pediatric nursing
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Every summer, millions of children attend summer camp, bringing with them flashlights, sleeping bags, bug spray, and a wide array of acute and chronic medical conditions. Registered nurses provide care to these children in an environment that is fun-filled, rewarding, and challenging. Familiarity with camp settings, as well as with expectations of the nurse at camp, are important because the demands are quite different from traditional nursing practice. Due to the challenges that are inherent in the camp nursing role, nurses considering this area of practice must be knowledgeable about the various camp settings, camp nurse responsibilities, practice issues for camp nursing, implications for education and research, and resources for the nurse contemplating a camp nursing position.
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Comparative Study
Parent bed spaces in the PICU: effect on parental stress.
The purpose of this comparative descriptive study was to identify the impact of providing a parent bed space in the PICU, allowing for continual parental presence, on stress of the parents of critically ill children. Data were collected from parents (n = 86) at two children's hospitals 3 months prior to the opening of new PICUs with parent bed spaces. ⋯ Stress scores were significantly lower (p = .02) for parents who utilized the parent beds in the new PICUs. New PICU environments that facilitate continual parental presence may reduce parental stress related to a child's hospitalization.
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In January 2000, Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) nurses and physicians of specific disciplines including hematology/oncology, surgery, Emergency Department (ED), and anesthesia, identified a need to provide general anesthesia for children undergoing procedures outside of the operating room. This need was based upon two factors: (a) limited availability of the operating room, and (b) lack of proper monitoring of children receiving conscious sedation for painful procedures in PCMC clinics. In September 2000, the Rapid Treatment Unit (RTU) service was developed to provide cost-effective, efficient, patient/family-centered care for a variety of procedures. ⋯ Parents have reported satisfaction with the service verbally and through an anonymous survey. Increasing numbers of patients seeking services from Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana indicate a need for service expansion within the five-state region surrounding Salt Lake City. The RTU Anesthesia service is an important asset to PCMC and continues to expand to provide safe, efficient health care for children.