Principles of care-nursing for children

Principle Description
Growth and The nurse applies growth and development principles to meet
development the child’s physical and emotional needs. Involves
understanding the principles of maturation, physiological
immaturity, and response to illness. Nursing care is tailored to
the child’s chronologic age and developmental level.
Health Guides the child and family toward independent responsibility
promotion for health. Anticipatory guidance is education that facilitates
health promotion by providing developmentally appropriate
information about nutrition, exercise, safety, play, and wellness
issues such as immunizations and injury prevention.
Family focus Family-centered care is at the core of children because of the
intimate relationship between the child and the family in areas
of support, love, security, values, beliefs, attitudes and health
practices. Because the family is a partner in the child’s care, the
nurse provides information for appropriate decision-making,
assesses family needs, and refers the family to appropriate
Child advocacy resources within the community.
Includes specific responsibilities as child advocates, in the areas
of health promotion, violence, abuse, neglect, drug abuse, infant
morbidity and mortality, and access to care. Nurses exercise
Communication legal and ethical responsibilities cautiously, being aware of
their accountability.
Nurse use a variety of techniques to communicate with children
and families in a developmentally appropriate manner. Includes
Concepts use of play and other developmentally appropriate verbal and
applied across non-verbal communication techniques for effective
age groups communication.
Integration of the principles of pediatric nursing care across
many disorders and with all age-groups. Recognizes that with
any health encounter, children may have needs related to play

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 and activity, chronicit, nutrition, safety, illness, and family,
knowing pathophysilogic human development, family theory,
and evidence-based principles enhances nursing care.

A NA/SPN Standards of care and standards of professional performance for pediatric

nurses
Standards of care* Standards of professional performance*
Comprehensive pediatric nursing care Standard I. quality of care
focuses on helping children and their The pediatric nurse systematically
and their families and communities evaluates the quality and effectiveness
achieve their optimum health potentials. of pediatric nursing practice.
This is best achieved within the Standard II. Performance appraisal
framework of family –centered care and The pediatric nurse evaluates his or her
the pediatric nursing process, including own nursing practice in relation to
primary, secondary, and tertiary care professional practice standards and
coordinated across health care and relevant statues and regulations.
community settings. Standard III. Education
Standard I. assessment The pediatric nurse acquires and
The pediatric nurse collects health data. maintains current knowledge in
Standard II. Diagnosis pediatric nursing practice.
The pediatric nurse analyses the Standard IV. Collegiality
assessment data in determining The pediatric nurse contributes to the
diagnoses. professional development of peers,
Standard III. Outcome identification colleagues and others.
The pediatric nurse identifies expected Standard V. Ethics
outcomes individualized to the client. The pediatric nurse’s decisions and
Standard IV. Planning actions on behalf of children and their
The pediatric nurse develops a plan of families are determined in an ethical
care that prescribes interventions to manner.
attain expected outcomes. Standard VI. Collaboration
Standard V. Implementation The pediatric nurse collaborates with
The pediatric nurse implements the child, family, and health care providers

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interventions identified in the plan of
care.
Standard VI. Evaluation
The pediatric nurse evaluates the child’s
and family’s progress toward attainment
of outcomes.
in providing client care.
Standard VII. Research
The pediatric nurse’s uses research
findings in practice.
Standard VIII. Resource utilization
The pediatric nurse considers factors
related to safety, effectiveness, and cost
in planning and delivering care.