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When a child is diagnosed with a chronic, life-threatening illness, there is a significant impact on the healthy siblings. Few studies have addressed the adaptation of well siblings in diagnoses other than cancer. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine the relationships between the risk and protective factors that affect the psychological adaptation of healthy siblings of a child with cystic fibrosis. Findings from this study suggest family environment, especially parental stress and perceived social support, may affect the adaptation of the well sibling. Adolescent well siblings were more at risk for environmental influences than their younger counterparts., When a child is diagnosed with a chronic, life-threatening illness, there is a significant impact on the entire family. Well siblings are at risk for psychological adaptation problems because of [...]

There are approximately 12,000 children diagnosed with cancer every year in the U.S. The diagnosis of childhood cancer has an impact on the entire family. Parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer often exhibit symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition, children diagnosed with cancer often exhibit behavioral changes during and after treatment. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the adverse impact of the cancer diagnosis on the parents and children, few studies have been conducted on interventions designed to facilitate parental coping and mental health outcomes. The purpose of this evidence review was to determine the impact of psychosocial interventions on the mental health/coping outcomes of parents of children diagnosed with cancer. A synthesis of the current literature from the search demonstrates an urgent need for larger, theory-based, randomized controlled trials with attention control groups for parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer to improve their children's coping/mental health outcomes as well as their own., There are approximately 12,000 children diagnosed with cancer every year in the U.S. The diagnosis of cancer is a traumatic experience for both the family and the child. The psychological [...]

In the United States, the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has reached epidemic levels, with U.S. Hispanic children, a sub-group mainly composed of children of Mexican decent, disproportionately affected. Prior research has suggested that Mexican parents may view overweight in early childhood as desirable; however, it is unclear if this is still the case. Therefore, this qualitative study explored the beliefs of 11 Mexican parents of preschoolers regarding weight and health. Following coding and clustering of themes from the transcribed audio-recorded meetings, six patterns were identified: (a) meanings and relationships about excess weight in childhood and child health, (b) causes of overweight and obesity, (c) uncertainty about knowing and not knowing, (d) from Mexico to America: enticements of a new land and time as a commodity, (e) the effects of society on personal and parental goals: the work of parenting in the United States, and (f) identified needs and action strategies. In summary, parents involved in this group discussion readily associated overweight/obesity with poor mental and physical health; however, they were uncertain how they would "know" if their children were overweight., Overweight and obesity are now estimated to affect an alarming 65% of U.S. adults, 37% of children 6 to 11 years of age, and 21% of preschool U.S. children 3 [...]

Although major healthcare and professional organizations as well as key leaders have long emphasized the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP) in improving patient care and outcomes, the majority of healthcare professionals do not implement EBP. There is a huge gap in time that exists between the generation of research findings and the translation of those findings into clinical practice. Many efficacious interventions are not being used in clinical practice even though research findings suggest that they improve child and adolescent health and development. Conversely, many clinical practices are being implemented without sufficient evidence to support their use. Because of the need to accelerate EBP and to generate evidence to support best practices, the first EBP Leadership Summit focused on children and adolescents was conducted in February 2007. Several nationally recognized EBP experts and healthcare leaders from a number of children's hospitals and colleges of nursing across the U.S. participated in the Summit. This article describes the process used and outcomes generated from this landmark event in child and adolescent healthcare, including the launching of the new National Consortium for Pediatric and Adolescent EBP (NCPAEP). Future directions of the consortium also are highlighted., Despite recommendations from major healthcare and professional organizations as well as key leaders nationally that health professionals implement evidence-based practice (EBP) (Institute of Medicine, 2001; Greiner & Knebel, 2003; Melnyk, [...]

Approximately 1.6 million adolescents and children between the ages of 10 and 19 years are hospitalized annually due to injuries and other causes, and the numbers are increasing (Centers for [...]

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of overweight and obese children in recent years (World Health Organization, 1997) and studies indicate that children's lives may be shortened [...]

Characteristics of pediatric hospitalization have been changing in recent years. The number of children experiencing an intensive care stay in the United States (U.S.) has increased over the past 10 [...]

The number of pediatric critical care beds in hospitals throughout the country has been growing, while the number of general pediatric beds has been declining, with approximately 200 per 100,000 [...]

Despite its frequently benign nature, the presence of fever in children continues to spark fear in the hearts of parents and health care practitioners alike. In fact, fever is one [...]

Anxiety and fear are universally experienced emotions that create powerful instincts within the human body to protect itself, namely through the stress response or sympathetic nervous system reaction. The term [...]

Although there has been much emphasis placed on the prevention of prematurity and low birthweight (LBW), approximately 250,000 infants are born weighing less than 2,500 grams each year in the [...]

Obesity among children and adolescents is recognized as a prevalent public health concern worldwide (World Health Organization, 1997), with Type 2 diabetes reaching epidemic proportions in the pediatric population (Rosenbloom [...]

Estimates indicate that approximately 31% of children are affected by one or more chronic illnesses. Furthermore, caring for a chronically ill child imposes a host of long-term stressors for parents that need to be addressed by sensitive, evidence-based interventions. This article will: (a) review stressors of childhood chronic illness for parents over time; (b) provide a summary of tools that can be used to assess parental coping, (c) delineate important nursing assessments, (d) review interventions that have resulted in improved parental coping outcomes, and (e) describe a theoretical framework that can be used to assess and intervene with parents of chronically ill children., National estimates of the prevalence of childhood chronic illness (i.e., a prolonged illness or disability that interferes with daily functioning) indicate that approximately 31% of children under the age of [...]

Critical appraisal of research studies is the third step in evidence-based practice (EBP), following step one, "Asking clinical questions in PICO (i.e., population, intervention or interest area; comparison intervention or [...]

Evidence-based practice is a problem-solving approach to clinical practice that incorporates the best evidence from well-designed studies, patient values and preferences and a clinician's expertise in making decisions about patient [...]

Asthma continues to be the leading public health problem in pediatrics, affecting 8 million children in the United States (American Lung Association [ALA] 2001). In comparison to children without asthma, [...]

Asking questions that lend themselves to searching for the best evidence is a critical first step in implementing evidence-based practice (EBP). To conduct a successful search, it is important to [...]

Although studies have supported that patient outcomes are substantially improved when health care is based on evidence from well designed studies versus tradition or clinical expertise alone (Melnyk, Fineout-Overholt, Stone, [...]

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a commonly encountered pediatric illness that affects approximately 70% of children by 3 years of age, with one third experiencing more than three episodes (Pichichero [...]

The incidence of allergic conditions has been on the rise in the past 10 to 15 years and currently affects approximately 20% of the United States pediatric population (Boote, 1997, [...]

Handbook of Pediatric Drug Therapy Second Edition Foreword by Neil Izenberg, MD The Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Springhouse Publishers Springhouse, PA Handbook of Pediatric Drug Therapy, Second Edition [...]

The emphasis on high-quality, evidence-based care as well as cost-effectiveness in today s health care environment are posing unique challenges for the nursing profession. Although it is well-recognized that the [...]

Depression is a significant cause of morbidity in childhood affecting approximately 5% of children and 10 to 20% of adolescents (Reynolds & Johnston, 1994). Despite its high incidence and negative [...]

Although many influential organizations have been emphasizing the importance of evidence based-practice for several years, recent studies have shown that only a small percentage of health care providers are incorporating [...]