Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN, USA.
Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Augment Altern Commun. 2024 Dec;40(4):255-266. doi: 10.1080/07434618.2023.2284269. Epub 2023 Nov 30.
Many children who require hospitalization in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) are unable to or have difficulty communicating through speech, whether because of preexisting or acute conditions. Children who are unable to be heard and understood using only speech benefit from aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), including in hospital settings. This qualitative interview study sought to understand the perspectives of nurses on care and support for children who use or would benefit from aided AAC in the pediatric ICU. Participants were six nurses who worked in pediatric intensive care at a tertiary care unit of a children's hospital in the United States. Three main themes were identified related to nurses' views about supporting children's communication: (a) Caring for the Whole Child, (b) Needing Support from Others and Moving between Roles, and (c) Working with Available Resources and Demands. Nurses emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to care, the impact of others' support and knowledge, and a desire for building greater capacity for promoting children's access to effective communication. Findings offer insight that could improve patient-centered care for children with complex communication needs and support for nurses themselves, particularly within the broader context of ICU liberation.
许多需要住院治疗的儿科重症监护病房（ICU）的儿童无法或难以通过言语进行沟通，无论是因为先前存在的还是急性的疾病。无法通过言语进行倾听和理解的儿童受益于辅助性的增强和替代性沟通（AAC），包括在医院环境中。这项定性访谈研究旨在了解护士对在儿科 ICU 使用或受益于辅助性 AAC 的儿童的护理和支持的看法。参与者是在美国一家儿童医院的三级护理单位从事儿科重症监护工作的六名护士。与护士对支持儿童沟通的看法有关的三个主要主题包括：（a）关爱整体儿童，（b）需要他人支持并在角色之间转换，以及（c）利用现有资源和需求。护士强调了全面护理的重要性，他人支持和知识的影响，以及希望增强促进儿童有效沟通的能力。研究结果提供了洞察力，可以改善对有复杂沟通需求的儿童的以患者为中心的护理，并为护士本身提供支持，特别是在 ICU 解放的更广泛背景下。
