Friday, January 15, 2010

Child and Family Nursing

Okay, I get it. Patient-centered care in pediatrics includes the parents. Really. I DO get it. The problem I have is when HALF of the slides on yesterdays powerpoint for class said that it was important to do "whatever the parents want"- namely, if the parents want you to change their child? you do it. If the parents dont want to feed their child because they are tired, you do it. If they want you to page the doctor, change the bedsheets, or give their child pain medication, apparently we just "do it".

I understand that the number one concern of parents for their hospitalized children is pain control. Except "pain control" isn't what most parents want. They want pain RELIEF for their child. As in, NO pain. And as medical providers, we've kind of sucked at explaining that, in many cases, total pain relief is impossible, due to the danger of, say, respiratory depression. Or death. I just wish they taught us more about using our clinical judgement, and a LITTLE less about how we should do whatever parents tell us to. I'm all for working with families, and feeding and changing kids doesnt bother me, but please...teach me to respect that I have knowledge that is valuable, beyond the fact that i have two working hands to change bedding.

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