Family-centered care: do we practice what we preach?
OBJECTIVE
To determine nurses' perceptions and practices of identified elements of family-centered care.


METHODS
Descriptive.


METHODS
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), pediatrics, and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in an acute care hospital.


METHODS
Sixty-two licensed nurses, 37 working in the NICU and 25 working in pediatrics or the PICU.


METHODS
Scores for the Necessary and Current scales of the Family-Centered Care Questionnaire.


RESULTS
Scores representing current nursing practice of family-centered care were significantly lower than those representing its necessity (p = .000). Nurses with 10 years or fewer of neonatal or pediatric experience scored significantly higher on both the total Necessary Scale (p = .02) and total Current Scale (p = .017) than did those with 11 years or more. Nurses who work in the NICU scored significantly lower on the total Necessary Scale (p = .013) than did nurses who work in pediatrics or PICU.


CONCLUSIONS
Although nurses agree the identified elements of family-centered care are necessary, they do not consistently apply those elements in their everyday practice. Years of experience and clinical work setting influenced both perceptions and practices of family-centered care.
Petersen
Mary F
MF
Maternal-Child Health, Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Santa Clara, CA 95051-5386, USA. mary.petersen@kp.org
Cohen
Jayne
J
Parsons
Virgil
V
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D005190:Family; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires