[Pediatric nurse views regarding parental presence during a child's painful procedures].
OBJECTIVE
Family- centered care is one of the basic principles of pediatric nursing and allows pediatric patients to have parental support during invasive procedures. But health care professionals often hesitate regarding parental presence during pediatric invasive procedure. The aim of this descriptive study is to determine the views of nurses regarding parental presence invasive procedures in children.


METHODS
This study was conducted between the dates 15th March and 15th July 2009 in a university hospital in Ankara which permitted parental stay. A total of 43 (57%) nurses accepted our invitation to participate in this research. A demographic data form with open and closed ended interview questionnaires was used in the study.


RESULTS
The majority of nurses reported that parents should not be present with the child during the painful procedure. The disadvantages of parental presence during a painful procedure commonly expressed by the nurses were increased anxiety in the child (77.1%), increased health professional anxiety (60.0%), and a detrimental effect of parental presence on the success of the procedure (60.0%). The nurses' recommendations to make the painful procedures less traumatic for both children and their parents are explaining the procedure to the children and parents (83.7%), use of local anesthesia or sedation before the procedure (37.2%), and performing painful procedures with specialized teams (20.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
The nurses in the study population tended to prefer parents not to be present during painfull procedures. The findings of the study indicate the need for development of written polices and guidelines on the practice of painfull procedures. Recommendations for future research are presented.
Hacettepe University, Health Science Faculty, Nursing Department, Ankara, Turkey. hanoktay@hacettepe.edu.tr
Handan
H
Boztepe
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D010146:Pain / Q000451:nursing*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey