Nursing children and young people最新文献

Sepsis in children has been defined as a clinical syndrome resulting from a dysregulated immune response to infection. Several publications have highlighted the need for education for healthcare professionals on the recognition and management of sepsis to improve patient care and reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. This article offers information, tools and resources for children's nurses to promote a multidisciplinary team approach to assessing children and young people with suspected sepsis and escalating care where appropriate. It uses a case study to illustrate the challenges that may be encountered in diagnosing sepsis and providing effective care.

Stress, depression or anxiety accounts for nearly half of all work-related ill health in the UK, with the nursing profession recognised as being at increased risk of stress and burnout. While stress in nursing is linked to workload, acuity and team dynamics, children's nurses experience additional unique stressors, including caring for children who are critically ill or dying and dealing with anxious parents, secondary traumatic stress and complex interactions with families. Resilience - defined as the ability to adapt and recover from adversity - is a key protective factor, yet most existing research on this topic focuses on adult and mental health fields of nursing. This article reviews the limited literature on stress and resilience in children's nursing, highlighting gaps in the evidence, the influence of individual and environmental factors on resilience and the need for workplace strategies that promote nurses' psychological well-being. The author is undertaking a doctoral study to address these gaps and develop an evidence base tailored to this workforce.

The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 because of prolonged exposure to mould in his family's social housing flat in Rochdale, England, resulted in Awaab's Law, which mandates timely housing repairs by social housing providers from October 2025. This article explores a collaborative initiative between Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System and Slough Borough Council to improve the respiratory health of children and young people by addressing the effect of suboptimal housing conditions, particularly damp and mould. Geospatial data and shared records helped to identify high-risk households, ensuring efficient, equitable outreach. The project integrated healthcare and housing services through community-based clinics, roadshows and family hubs, providing targeted asthma interventions, personalised education and environmental remediation. The initiative resulted in improved asthma control for many children and young people, and it highlighted the crucial role of children's nurses in delivering interdisciplinary care, advocating for systemic change and supporting vulnerable families. This model presents a promising approach to reducing health inequalities through integrated, community-led healthcare and housing support.

Rationale and key points: This article provides an introduction to performing cardiac auscultation in infants and children aged 0-16 years, with the aim of improving children's nurses' knowledge and confidence in this procedure. Nurses wishing to develop competence in cardiac auscultation can use this article as a guide to complement supervised practical experience; however, it is not intended to determine an individual's competence. • Cardiac auscultation is a component of a structured cardiac assessment rather than a standalone tool. • It is important to auscultate all four main heart valve areas, listening for normal heart sounds and any additional sounds. • Several differences should be considered when auscultating heart sounds in infants and children compared with adults, including heart rate ranges and the potential need to use distraction techniques for those who are distressed. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How you think this article might help improve your practice when undertaking cardiac auscultation in infants and children. • How you could use this information to develop your own knowledge and skills before educating others on the appropriate technique and evidence base behind auscultating heart sounds in infants and children.

Inherited cardiac conditions (ICCs) encompass a range of rare genetic heart diseases and require the expert care of a skilled multidisciplinary team. Increased awareness of these conditions and advances in genetic testing have led to a rise in demand for specialist ICC services. The Centre for Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, England, is a tertiary centre for the diagnosis and management of ICCs in children and young people. Specialist nursing roles have developed at the centre in recent years in parallel with the growth of ICC nursing. There are also increasing opportunities for advanced and autonomous nursing practice to support the provision of high-quality care for children and young people affected by ICCs and their families.

Evidence on the incidence of child sexual abuse (CSA) indicates it is a global epidemic that adversely affects the short- and long-term physical and mental health outcomes of those affected. Learning from safeguarding practice reviews suggests healthcare professionals (HCPs) are in a unique position to identify and intervene when they suspect CSA. However, research suggests that HCPs have insufficient knowledge to identify CSA, intervene and manage the individual's care. This article reports the findings of a systematic literature review that explored HCAs' knowledge of how to identify and respond to CSA. The findings from the published research on this topic indicate that HCAs have limited knowledge and confidence, which can prevent them from fulfilling their mandatory safeguarding roles. The literature review emphasises the need to improve training to ensure better health outcomes for children and young people who have been sexually abused.

The System-wide Paediatric Observation Tracking (SPOT) programme in England aims to improve the recognition of, and response to, deterioration in the health status of children and young people in any healthcare environment. The first phase of the programme involved the development of a standardised Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) and its implementation in inpatient settings. This is the second of two articles that aim to develop nurses' knowledge and understanding of the SPOT programme and the PEWS observation and escalation charts to assist in providing safe and effective care to children and young people. It explores the 'carer question' and 'clinical intuition' triggers of the PEWS charts, which allow for the escalation of a child's care based solely on the carer's concerns or the nurse's intuition. The authors also outline the nurse's role in escalating the child's care and effectively communicating the need for escalation, as well as the ongoing roll-out and development of the PEWS charts.

Background: Undernutrition is a global health concern, particularly in low-income countries, and can manifest as wasting, stunting and/or underweight. In Yemen, the recent armed conflict is likely to have significantly increased the incidence of undernutrition in young children, particularly those living in communities that were already experiencing socioeconomic and health disparities.

Aim: To explore the risk factors associated with wasting, stunting and underweight in children aged between six months and five years living in one district of Yemen.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a two-part questionnaire to collect anthropometric measurements and sociodemographic characteristics of children enrolled on an outpatient programme for undernourished children at three healthcare facilities in the Jiblah district, and of their families and households.

Results: Of the 120 children included in the study, 58 (48%) had wasting, 27 (23%) had stunting and 35 (29%) were underweight. Risk factors for undernutrition included being under the age of three years, being a girl, having had a low birthweight, having siblings under the age of five years, having a mother who is a housewife, living in a household relying on unimproved sources of drinking water, living in a rural area, and living in a low-income household.

Conclusion: The nutritional status of children in Yemen is under continuing threat. The identification of risk factors for undernutrition may increase awareness of the issue and influence the policy decisions of the international community.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to an unprecedented change in healthcare systems, including the swift roll-out of technology-enabled care services, such as remote consultations. Interventions such as nutrition assessments for children are likely to continue to be conducted remotely as part of an online consultation. This article considers nutrition screening and nutritional assessment in children in acute and primary care settings. The article also provides an overview of the development of the Paediatric Remote Malnutrition Application (Pedi-R-MAPP), designed to assist healthcare professionals to undertake a standardised, nutrition-focused assessment via remote consultation and/or in primary care settings. The aim of the Pedi-R-MAPP is to help identify children with declining nutritional status or new nutritional concerns and to recommend frequency of review based on the outcomes of the assessment.

A lumbar puncture may be performed for various reasons, but is commonly used to facilitate the diagnosis of central nervous system infections in infants and children. It involves inserting a needle into the lower spine to obtain cerebrospinal fluid, which is then sent for testing in a laboratory. The results of the tests, together with a clinical assessment of a patient, can guide the effective treatment of infections and reduce the risk of neurological conditions. This article outlines some of the reasons why lumbar punctures are performed, discusses the practical aspects of the procedure and explains how nurses can effectively support the child and their family, while also assisting the practitioner undertaking the procedure.