2019 Volume 28 Pages 156-164
Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 8 outpatient pediatric nurses with experience providing guidance in growth hormone (GH) treatment for children with small-for-gestational age (SGA) short stature and their families with the aim of revealing the nurses’ awareness of children with SGA short stature and their families as well as ongoing support for GH treatment. Qualitative and inductive analysis resulted in extraction of “I have no relations making me aware of SGA,” “the core of treatment is the parents,” “parents and children quickly adapt to the treatment,” “there are difficulties in this treatment,” “support for mothers and children have been established,” and “there are challenges in outpatient support” as categories in the pediatric outpatient nurses’ awareness and “courteously supporting the introduction of self-injection” and “prevention of troubles associated with treatment continuation and habituation” as categories in support being provided. It was suggested that it is necessary to consider support in line with mothers’ needs immediately after the start of treatment as well as support that encourages proactive parent-child involvement during ongoing treatment.
