Irish Association of Paediatric Nursing

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Irish Association of Paediatric Nursing

• Dr Imelda Coyne

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Childrens Nursing

• The past
• The present
• The future

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Topics of Discussion

• Sick children require special nursing and sick
  childrens nurses require special training
• Catherine Jane Wood, 1888

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Where We Have Been

• Nursing attendents- untrained
• Childrens hospitals(1821)
• Skin disorders, inadequate nutrition and
  infections
• Parents excluded
• Emphasis on rigid routines
• Emphasis on hygiene and fresh air

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The Past

• Register - Specialist training for childrens
  nurses (1919)

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Present Issues

• Lone parents and reconstituted families
• Teen parents
• Unaccompanied children
• Increase in mental illness
• Increase in chronic disorders
• Increased demands on family unit

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Present Issues contd

• Changing population profile
• Child poverty
• Child maltreatment
• Child obesity

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Present

• No undergraduate degree in paediatrics
• Paediatric lecturers marginalised
• Decreased numbers of students on post-reg
  paediatric courses
• Loss of applicants to childrens nursing
• Cost and length of time to train
• Increased workload for staff
• Lack of courses specific to paediatric specialism

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Similar Issues In England

• Lack of status for childrens services
• Lack of childrens nurses
• Lack of childrens nurses with specialist skills
• Restricted clinical career pathways
• Insufficency of training places
• (Association of Chief Childrens Nurses, 2002)

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Impact on Childrens Nursing

• Lack of childrens nurses
• Lack of nurses with specialist skills(ITU, CCU,
  community)
• Lack of status for childrens services
• Lack of strategic planning

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• The feeling of a relative lack of power amongst
  childrens nurses simply reflects the lack of
  importance placed on children and their lack of
  power in society
• Glasper and Charles-Edwards (2002)

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Childrens Nurses Role

• Family centred care
• Infant to adolescent lifespan
• Advocacy and informed consent
• Health promotion and education
• Intercultural perspective
• Community based care

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Next Steps

• Raising standards of child health care
• Evidence based practice
• Identifying nursing competencies
• Developing critical decision-making skills
• Measuring effectiveness of interventions
• Demonstrating contribution to quality of care

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Key Recommendation

• The healthcare needs of children are different
  from those of adults and this must be recognised.
  Children should always be cared for in a
  paediatric environment, and always by healthcare
  professionals who hold a recognised qualification
  in caring for children
• (Bristol Inquiry Final Report, 2001)

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Mission

• To promote excellence in the nursing care of
  children and their families 
• To raise the profile of childrens nursing
  nationally and internationally
• To provide leadership by promoting the speciality
  of childrens nursing in practice, education and
  research

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What we hope to achieve

• To highlight the value of Childrens Nurses
  within the health care setting
•  To provide a forum to support and network with
  colleagues
•  To share clinical expertise in the promotion of
  quality care
• To share, promote and disseminate evidence based
  practice
• To influence relevant legislation and health
  policy at all levels in relation to the care of
  children and their families
• To promote public awareness of the specific
  nursing needs of children and young people

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• History tells us that strength lies in unity

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An Bord Altranais, 2001
   
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• Join the IAPN today and make your voices heard
• Thank you for your time and attention