PARENTS NEED CARE TOO: PROVIDING FAMILY‐CENTRED CARE DURING PAEDIATRIC RESUSCITATION IN A RURAL AREA

Using a critical‐thinking approach, nurses in a rural paediatric unit examined the needs of parents who had a child requiring resuscitation. Respiratory distress syndrome is the major cause of paediatric retrievals in the studied rural area of New South Wales, where babies must be transferred to a metropolitan referral centre for ventilation and ongoing management. After one such event, it was noted that parents were not receiving the care they required when staff were resuscitating their child. Problems that impinged on the delivery of care to such families within the resuscitation environment were identified. A critical‐thinking approach was implemented to improve the delivery of care to families by using a reflective practice process in the management of parental and nursing issues. Nursing care was improved by educating the parents of the possible consequences of bronchiolitis and ensuring parents received current information on their child's progress during such acute phases of care. Staff were given ownership of particular areas of nursing care and issues arising from resuscitation in the unit.