The effect of family-centered care education on pediatric nurses' attitudes and clinical practices: nurse and parent perception

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Family-centered care (FCC) is a crucial and dynamic philosophy within 21st-century pediatric nursing, offering numerous benefits for both children and their families. It is essential for pediatric nurses to be well-versed in the FCC approach and related practices. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of nurse training on nurses' attitudes towards FCC and on nurses' clinical practices related to FCC. Methods: This study utilized a pretest-posttest, single-blind (for nurses and parents), and prospective design. The sample consisted of nurses (n = 41) employed at a university hospital's pediatric clinics and parents (n = 256) with infants or children admitted to these clinics. Data collection involved the Nurse Information Form, Parent and Child Information Form, Family-Centered Care Scale (FCCS), and Family-Centered Care Attitude Scale (FCCAS). Results: A significant difference was observed between nurses' pre- and post-training FCCAS median scores (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was detected between the median FCCS scores of parents whose children were cared for by nurses before and after the training (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Following the FCC training provided to pediatric nurses, their attitudes towards the necessity and importance of FCC significantly improved compared to the pre-training period. However, no significant difference was found in the perceived FCC practices of parents whose children received inpatient treatment during the pre-and post-training periods. Implications to practice: Training is important in improving pediatric nurses' attitudes towards FCC. Planned training on FCC should be provided for nurses. Difficulties in pediatric nurses' FCC practices should be identified. In addition, FCC practices should be implemented as a policy in hospitals and pediatric clinics and nurses should be supported to ensure the implementation of FCC practices.