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2022 JUL 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Investigators publish new report on Cardiovascular Research. According to news reporting originating [...]

At the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners 44th National Conference on Pediatric Health Care, held March 15 to 18, 2023, in Orlando, Florida, sessions included managing viral infections in [...]

Delirium is a serious neuropsychiatric condition that emerges acutely in all age groups, including infants, children, and adolescents. Delirium serves as an urgent signal of distress that a young child's brain is in trouble. Prevention, recognition, and management of infants with delirium is often especially challenging due to their pre-verbal status and still immature cognitive development. This article presents an overview of delirium in infants, offers details regarding the presentation of delirium in infants, discusses the challenges to screening and identification of infants with delirium, and provides evidence-based suggestions for pediatric nurses to optimize nursing care for infants at risk for or exhibiting delirium., Delirium is a serious neuropsychiatric condition that emerges acutely in all age groups, including infants, children, and adolescents. Delirium as a psychiatric emergency is often unrecognized and undermanaged because healthcare [...]

Background: Many children present to the emergency department (ED) in pain and/or experience pain as a result of interventions necessary to manage their illness. Pediatric pain assessment and management is complex and challenging. Despite the presence of published standards of care specific to pain assessment and management, nurses in the ED may not know about and/or consistently use these evidence-based practices. In particular, pediatric patients are inconsistently and/or inappropriately assessed for pain in the ED. Methods: The aim of this project was to make standard the utilization of evidence-based practices regarding pediatric pain assessment in the ED at a community hospital. The purpose of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a pediatric pain education program and pain assessment protocol to improve nurses' knowledge and standardize care in a community hospital emergency department. Results: Seventy-eight ED nurses completed the education program, consisting of an online module with content addressing pediatric pain assessment and management, and then used the protocol. Education program evaluations were very positive. A statistically significant difference in the mean pre- and post-test scores indicated significant learning gains among participants; strong reliability of this test was demonstrated. Sixty patient medical records were reviewed two weeks after the educational program. Pain assessment at triage and use of an appropriate pain scale for all assessments were the most consistently used components of the protocol. A low percentage of protocol adherence was found regarding assessment of pain characteristics. Conclusion: Significant improvements in nurses' pain knowledge are demonstrated via an education program. Implementation of a pain assessment protocol is one mechanism to standardize nursing practice with pediatric patients in the ED setting., Despite the presence of published evidence-based standards of care specific to pain assessment and management, pediatric patients are inconsistently and/or inappropriately assessed for pain (Probst, Lyons, Leonard, & Esposito, 2005). [...]

Problem: Pediatric nurses often use an inappropriate tool to assess pain in children younger than 36 months of age. Objective: This intervention intended to improve the nursing practice of assessing pain in preverbal (less than 36 months of age) children. Methods: Pain assessment frequency and use of a pain assessment pediatric tool use was evaluated pre- and post-intervention via a retrospective chart review and a survey of pediatric nurses. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were used to determine significant differences between pre- and post-intervention data for both approaches. Results: The chart review data showed a significant increase in the number of times pain was assessed and documented post-educational intervention. Similarly, the survey data analysis showed a significant post-intervention increase in the use of a pain assessment tool and that most nurses used the FLACC pain assessment tool when assessing pain in preverbal children. Conclusion: Educating staff nurses about the use of an appropriate pain assessment scale altered practice and improved the frequency of pain assessment of preverbal children., The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), now called The Joint Commission, implemented a policy calling for effective pain assessment and management in accredited health care institutions (Downey [...]

The purpose of this study is to describe the lived experience of pediatric burn unit nurses who have experienced the death of a patient. A qualitative phenomenological design was used for the interview and analysis. Methods were incorporated into the design to ensure reliability, consistency, and rigor. Using a semi-structured interview guide and phenomenological concepts, the investigators interviewed seven registered nurses who were employed in a pediatric burn unit. Data obtained were analyzed for common themes that emerged during examination of transcribed interviews. Four common themes of feelings were identified: 1) grief and sadness, 2) helplessness, 2) compartmentalization of feelings, and 4) lack of preparedness for dealing with situations involving the death of a pediatric patient. While nurses are emotionally supportive to patients and families, the emotional support available to nurses who are dealing with these situations is lacking. By developing individual coping strategies and seeking peer support, nurses attempt to deal with emotional situations faced in the workplace. Nurses, nurse educators, and administrators must understand the impact of nurses' grief following patient death. By understanding and validating their emotions, it is hoped that nurses will be supported in a way that will enhance a healthy professional environment and personal well-being., Nurses working on a pediatric burn unit care for children who suffer physical and psychological trauma, extreme pain, and sometimes death. In addition to caring for patients, these nurses support [...]

Background: The period of early childhood, defined as three to five years of age, is an important and distinct stage in childhood development. Changes in dietary patterns and composition of diets are exposing children in developing countries to over-nutrition as well as under-nutrition. Objective: To describe the nutritional status, dietary patterns, and socioeconomic conditions of three to five-year-old children living in rural Jamaica. Sample: A convenience sample of 142 children was recruited over a three-year period. Measurements: Height and weight measurements were collected. Household dietary patterns and socio-economic indicators were available from a small group (n = 6) of parents. Results: Children experiencing both under-nutrition and over-nutrition were identified. Nine percent (n = 13) could be classified as moderately to severely under-nourished, and 6.9% (n = 10) classified as overweight. Frying was a common cooking method, and fruits and vegetables were eaten often. Conclusions: Economic and political changes may place children in developing countries at risk for over-nutrition as well as under-nutrition. The school setting may be an important place to address nutritional issues. This analysis describes the nutritional status of a sample of three to five-year-old children living in rural Jamaica and provides suggestions for future research., The period of early childhood, defined as three to five years of age, is an important and distinct stage in childhood development. Early childhood is characterized as a time of [...]

The treatment of Pediculosis capitis, or head lice, is fraught with misinformation, myths, and mismanagement. Common myths include the need to exclude children from school, the need to remove all visible nits ('no-nit' policies), the need for massive environmental cleaning, that head lice live for long periods of time, and that schools are a common location for lice transmission. Head lice are a common childhood nuisance, causing embarrassment and emotional trauma in both children and families. This article explores and challenges the commonly held beliefs about the identification, management, and treatment of Pediculosis by presenting current recommended evidence-based practice. It also challenges pediatric nurses, and school nurses in particular, in alignment with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Position Statement on Pediculosis Management in the School Setting, to act as change agents for reasonable and effective school policies and practices., Consider this scenario common five years ago: Nathan, a second grade student, was sent to the school nurse's office for a 'head check' after his teacher noticed him frequently scratching [...]