This paper presents a narrative literature review on the evidence relating to the youth worker role with young people in the hospital setting, within which the research gaps and inconsistencies within the body of knowledge available are highlighted. Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED and British Nursing Index databases were searched and screened for papers which involved the youth worker role with young people in a hospital setting. Data relating to the youth workers who worked with young people in the hospital setting were extracted by two independent reviewers. A total of 11 papers were identified dating from 1971 to 2018, from a range of countries. In order to present the available body of knowledge, this narrative synthesis of the literature is presented under three headings: descriptive work, service evaluation and empirical research. The findings suggest that the youth worker role in the hospital setting has a positive impact upon the lives of young people and this was accomplished through the interventions the youth worker employed when working with young people. Equally, challenges were highlighted relating to the youth worker undertaking their role in the hospital setting. However, changes during this time period in attitudes towards adolescent health particularly within the United Kingdom, along with the loss of funding for youth work has had an impact on the research in this area of clinical practice. The number of descriptive papers in this review, highlights the necessity for empirical evidence in both quantitative and qualitative research in order to gain a greater understanding of what the youth worker role in the hospital provides to young people and the impact of their interventions from the perspectives of young people, parents, youth workers and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
Transition to adulthood for young people is complex and multi-faceted, with additional hurdles for young people who have disabilities, long-term, or life-limiting conditions or mental health problems. The challenges in providing effective transition support are not new; researchers, policymakers, commissioners, and service providers have been grappling with the problem for several decades, with varying degrees of success. The aims of this integrative review were firstly to build on previous research to synthesize and evaluate recently published evidence. Secondly to provide an overview of the effectiveness of interventions (in one or a combination of health, social care, and education transitions) designed to support transition to adulthood in these groups of young people. A search of a range of databases retrieved published literature from January 2015 to January 2021 demonstrating global interest in the topic. Fifty-one articles were included following an appraisal of quality and eligibility. Qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods studies, and evidence synthesis were included. Some studies were clinically orientated whilst others examined the impact of the transition process, or utilized participatory approaches which give young service-users and families a voice. Transition between children's and adult health or care services as well as other life-course trajectories, such as life-skills development, education transitions, social inclusion and employability were evaluated. Thematic analysis and synthesis of articles retrieved in this review highlighted themes identified in previous reviews: timing of, and preparation for transition; perceptions and experience of transition; barriers and facilitators; transition outcomes. Additional themes included special considerations; dealing with complexity; advocacy, participation, autonomy, aspirations, and young people's rights; future work, research, and evaluation. Novel perspectives and diverse data sources contributed to holistic understanding of an ongoing priority for international policy, service development, and research: the complexity of providing effective transition support and achieving positive outcomes for young people with long-term and life-limiting health conditions, disabilities, and mental health difficulties.
Health care transition is an expanding field of health care practice and research focused on facilitating adolescents and emerging adults with long-term conditions to transfer uninterruptedly from pediatric to adult health care services and to transition successfully into adulthood and beyond. There is a widespread need to develop and implement service models as approximately one million adolescents and emerging adults with long-term conditions transfer their care into the adult system and enter adulthood. The purpose of this article is to explore major issues associated with the current state of health care transition practice, research and ultimately policymaking and systems change. The prominent issues addressed in this article include the following. Defining clearly what constitutes models of health care transition practice as ambiguity exists with terminology used with concepts integral to health care transition. The indistinct meanings of health care transition terminology commonly used, such as transition, transfer, readiness, and preparation, need to be operationalized for widespread application. Furthermore, questions remain as to what goal-directed outcomes are expected within this field of practice and science.
The transition to adulthood is a critical time for everyone to build independence, experience new things, and become self-sufficient. With medical advances, individuals with complex chronic conditions are surviving into adulthood. As such they withstand additional challenges during this stage of their life including; facing a discontinuity of care, loss of prior health-care networks and champions, and a shift toward increased responsibility and self-management of their conditions. Often this shift results in the need for primary care providers to act as care managers, coordinating care and supporting the young adult as they navigate adulthood. In exploring the role of primary care providers with this population we reviewed the literature to identify what strategies primary care providers can use to enhance the transition process for young adults ages 15 to 25 years with complex chronic conditions exiting pediatric services. An integrative literature review approach was used to systematically search the contemporary literature. Applying inclusion criteria and quality assessment of relevant research and gray literature we identified 12 studies that warranted detailed review and analysis. Analysis of the studies highlighted four key themes: relationships, fear and anxiety, preparedness, and communication and collaboration. It was evident that health-care transition for young adults with complex chronic conditions was complicated by their psychosocial development and extensive health and service needs. Health-care transition is a team effort influenced by local contexts, resources, and relational practices. Both groups of primary care providers and young adults must be prepared prior to transition if they are to become immersed and engaged in this work. The population of young adults with complex chronic conditions exiting pediatric care will continue to grow as access to care delivery and medical technology continue to expand. While health-care transition for this population is complicated by extensive needs and psychosocial development, primary care providers can act as key supports in employing strategies to enhance the transition process for these young adults.
This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between lifelong learning perceptions of pediatric nurses and self-confidence and anxiety in clinical decision-making processes. One of the most important ways to adapt to change in the developing and changing health care environment worldwide and in evidence based nursing care is lifelong learning. The most essential characteristics of a lifelong learner are reflection, questioning, enjoying learning, understanding the dynamic nature of knowledge and engaging in learning by actively seeking learning opportunities so that evidence-based nursing care can be achieved. Pediatric nurses were included in this descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study. The study was based on pediatric nursing in the pediatric clinics of a hospital in the capital of Turkiye between April and July 2021. It was determined that the mean scores of lifelong learning differed according to gender, education level, length of service in the profession and the unit in which each individual worked, and these differences were statistically significant. Pediatric nurses' lifelong learning level explained the three subdimensions of self-confidence in clinical decision-making. The results of the regression analysis indicate that lifelong learning levels of the pediatric nurses did not significantly predict their scores on the subdimensions of anxiety with clinical decision-making scale. Positive effects on clinical decision-making in the nursing process can be achieved if the tendencies of pediatric nurses toward lifelong learning are sufficient. Assessing nurses' lifelong learning perceptions is an essential step toward implementing evidence-based care for pediatric patients. Clinical decision-making skills can be supported by increasing nurses' lifelong learning awareness.
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of an online Child Health and Diseases Nursing course emphasizing family-centered care upon the perceptions of nursing students toward family-centered care. A one-group pretest-posttest model was used in this study. The research participants consisted of 88 students studying at X University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing. While 67.1% of the students stated that there were obstacles in implementing family-centered care, 73.9% stated that there were no facilitating elements in implementing of family-centered care. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean scores of the students' posttest family-centered care attitude and parents' attitude at the end of the training. This study provides insights into family-centered care, which could be used in crafting policies and interventions in nursing education in Turkey. Such insights could foster positive perceptions of family-centered care among student nurses.
Acquiring information about one's child's cancer diagnosis is a complex and ever-changing process, and parents' needs change over time. As yet, we know little about what information parents require at different stages of their child's illness. This paper is part of a larger randomized control trial studying the parent-centered information given to mothers and fathers. The aim of this paper was to describe the topics addressed in person-centered meetings between nurses and parents of children with cancer and how those changed over time. Using qualitative content analysis, we analyzed nurses' written summaries of 56 meetings with 16 parents and then computed for each topic the percentage of parents who brought it up at any time during the intervention. The main categories were Child's disease and treatment (addressed by 100% of parents), Consequences of treatment (88%), Emotional management for the child (75%), Emotional management for the parent (100%), Social life of the child (63%), and Social life of the parent (100%). Different topics were addressed at different points in time, and fathers raised more concerns about the child's emotional management and the consequences of treatment than mothers. This paper suggests that parental information demands change over time and differ between fathers and mothers, implying that information should be person-centered. Registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02332226).