CHRONICALLY ILL CHILDREN: PERCEPTIONS OF THE NURSES WHO PROVIDE THEIR CARE AT HOME AND IN THE HOSPITAL (HOME CARE, HOSPITAL CARE).
Contributors: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 153
Subjects: Education, Health.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to explore and compare perceptions of nursing personnel involved in providing health care to long term, chronically ill children in two health care settings, the hospital and the home.

This study focused upon nurses' perceptions of the safety and quality of health care being provided in each setting. Additionally, this study includes the measures of the nurses' perception of job related stress, nursing tasks, magnitude or scope of patient care, and professional and personal job satisfaction.

Secondary purposes of this study were to examine and compare demographic and professional backgrounds of the nurses and to assess their perception of satisfaction related to the certain elements of nursing care their children receive.

The population for this study was limited to nurses licensed to practice in the state of Illinois. Questionnaires were sent to nurses at 14 hospitals and 57 home health care agencies that were known to provide care to chronically ill children. There were 55 hospital nurses (HNs) and 138 home health care nurses (HHCNs) who responded to the questionnaire.

Demographic characteristics showed that nurses who provide care in the home are slightly older than nurses who provide care in the hospital. There are more RNs providing care to chronically ill children in the hospital than in the home and fewer hospital nurses have worked in both the home and hospital. A higher percent of HNs were single and tended to have fewer children. It was revealed that having cared for a chronically ill family member in the past was more prevalent among HHCNs.

It was perceived by both HNs and HHCNs that chronically ill children receiving nursing care in the home were just as safe as in the hospital. Both HHCNs and HNs perceived the chronically ill child's family as the most stressful aspects of providing care. Both groups felt that with appropriate training, parents could provide adequate care to their chronically ill child. HNs felt a nurse's aide could provide adequate care to a chronically ill child, but HHCNs were undecided on that issue. HHCNs perceived that parents were more satisfied with the nursing and medical care their chronically ill child received in the home as compared to hospital care. Both groups of nurses perceived that parents' satisfaction with agencies was less than satisfactory. Both groups reported that the most critical incident that occurred in the care of a child was respiratory distress. Both HNs and HHCNs felt the best place for a chronically ill child was the home.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-01, Section: A, page: 0084.

Thesis (PH.D.)--SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY AT CARBONDALE, 1990.

School code: 0209.