Journal of Children and Young People's Health

Family-centred care (FCC) is an approach to healthcare that occurs within varied paediatric care settings with the belief that this model of care meets the psychosocial, emotional, and physical needs of the hospitalised child and family. This review aimed to explore the attitudes, perceptions, knowledge and implementation of FCC from many studies and to facilitate a wider and more thorough understanding of this practice from a diverse sample of nurses working in paediatric care settings.

Method The review was completed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Systematic Review Method. Seven databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, JBI, ProQuest, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library) were searched for research associated with FCC in paediatric care settings published between January 2013 and May 2024.

Aim To identify, appraise, and synthesise extant literature on the prevalence and practices to enhance family-centred care among nurses working in paediatric care settings, as this can help to evaluate their existing state of awareness, experience, and training.

Results Of the 644 potentially relevant studies identified, and following title and abstract screening according to the inclusion criteria, 55 papers were selected for retrieval. Of these, 16 met the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment was completed using the MMAT appraisal tool.

Conclusion FCC in pediatric care settings is significant as it can benefit children to be supported by their families when they are admitted to a care setting. Nevertheless, nurses require the right attitudes, perception and knowledge regarding FCC concepts and principles, which can enhance the efficacy of practicing FCC.

Background Establishing good oral health care habits in early childhood is important for preventing early childhood caries. This study aimed to investigate trends in adherence to oral health care recommendations and parent-reported barriers to establishing good oral health care habits with young (0 to 4-year-old) Australian children.

Methods Parents (n=430) completed a cross-sectional online survey assessing adherence to oral health recommendations, barriers to establishing good oral health practices, and parents’ interest (yes/no) in receiving tips/information on children’s oral health. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared analyses. Qualitative responses were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results Fewer than half of children aged ≤2 years regularly had their teeth and gums cleaned twice daily. Although comparatively greater proportions of 3 and 4-year-olds met this recommendation, many still did not brush twice daily. Qualitative findings revealed child resistance as the main parent-reported barrier to establishing good oral care habits. Over half (56.4%) of parents wanted tips/information on children’s oral health, particularly regarding strategies to encourage regular and effective toothbrushing.

Conclusions Resistant child behaviour is a key barrier to the development of good oral health care habits. Parents particularly want information/support to encourage regular and effective toothbrushing with young children.

Introduction In 2019, a variant called COVID-19 caused a worldwide pandemic. While often classified as a mild disease in children, COVID-19 still poses significant health risks to children, especially for children under 1 year of age and those with pre-existing comorbidities.

Aim To explore COVID-19 testing and diagnosis in children under 6 years of age from international peer-reviewed published manuscripts.

Methods A systematic review was undertaken based on guidelines by Siddaway et al (2019).²⁴ Extant empirical research published in peer-reviewed journals from 2020–2024 on COVID-19 testing in children under 6 years of age were identified from Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE via PubMed, and PsycInfo via Ovid databases. Data were analysed by deductive thematic analysis.

Findings Fourteen studies involving over 5000 participants were included. Findings were explored and collated under the key areas of symptomology, diagnostic tests, efficacy and acceptability of testing, viral loads, and vulnerability/risk factors as per a deductive descriptive analysis.

Conclusion While common symptoms such as fever and cough were prevalent in children under 6 years of age infected with COVID-19, symptomology alone was not a foolproof diagnostic tool. The use of additional diagnostic testing, such as nasopharyngeal swabs and polymerase chain reaction testing, were complementary to diagnosis, but an understanding of the risk factors for contracting COVID-19, as well as the vulnerability and health outcomes of children with COVID-19, is important to consider.