Awareness and Actions of Nurses Who Come into Contact with Hospitalized Children:

Focusing on What is in the Childrens' Best Interests

Abstract

Study purpose: To examine the characteristic of pediatric nurses by comparing nurses of a pediatric hospital (specialist group) and a pediatric ward of a general hospital(pediatrics group), with a mixed ward containing adults and children (mixed group), with regard to their awareness of what is in the chlidren's best interests, as ensured in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and how much this is taken into consideration in practice.

Method: Questionnaire survey given to a total of 450 nurses: 171 in the specialist group; 141 in the pediatrics group; and 138 in the mixed group.

Results: (1) Awareness of children's rights tended to be greater than the degree the rights were observed in practice. As for the tendencies of the groups overall, the pediatrics group exhibited greater awareness than the mixed group; the pediatrics group observed them more than the specialist group did. (2) Regarding explanations to children or encouragement to make their own decisions, all groups tended to have strong awareness. (3) Regarding the protection of the privacy of children and their families, the pediatrics group practiced the rights more than the mixed group did. (4)Average score showing awareness of rights and their practice for ensuring the safety and comfort of chlidren was high for all groups. (5) The pediatrics group respected wishes of chlidren and their parents more than the specialist group did. (6)The pediatrics and specialist groups exhibited greater awareness than did the mixed group regarding development of children and providing information. (7) Both awareness of the need for family support and providing this support were higher in the pediatrics and specialists groups than they were in the mixed group. We hope these results contribute to improving care with a primary focus on protecting children's rights.