The Scream: The Emotional Dimensions of Nursing in Children's Palliative Care
Title
The Scream: The Emotional Dimensions of Nursing in Children's Palliative Care
Creator
Kelly D; Brimble M
Identifier
Publisher
International Journal of Palliative Nursing
Date
2023
Subject
Nursing; Palliative Therapy; Child; Child; editorial; Female; Human; human experiment; Male; Only Child; Palliative Care
Description
When working on an ethnographic study into communication between children and health professionals about their cancer, the researcher witnessed an event that seemed to capture the often-invisible emotional challenges associated with such work (Bryan et al, 2019).
A child was observed being terrified of a dressing change around her central venous line and was refusing to let anyone touch it. As various people tried to persuade her to allow access, she started to scream and did so continuously for several minutes. Her refusal was firm, and the procedure proved impossible to undertake on this occasion. The child's response was jarring to the professionals involved and seemed to symbolise the often-silent distress of children who are undergoing cancer treatment. The researcher witnessed attempts by the mother and various professionals to try and persuade the child to let them complete the task. In the end, their sense of frustration was matched only by the child's determination not to co-operate. The emotional dimension of the work of these nurses was suddenly brought into sharp focus, as they responded to what became a challenging and unexpected situation. [...]
A child was observed being terrified of a dressing change around her central venous line and was refusing to let anyone touch it. As various people tried to persuade her to allow access, she started to scream and did so continuously for several minutes. Her refusal was firm, and the procedure proved impossible to undertake on this occasion. The child's response was jarring to the professionals involved and seemed to symbolise the often-silent distress of children who are undergoing cancer treatment. The researcher witnessed attempts by the mother and various professionals to try and persuade the child to let them complete the task. In the end, their sense of frustration was matched only by the child's determination not to co-operate. The emotional dimension of the work of these nurses was suddenly brought into sharp focus, as they responded to what became a challenging and unexpected situation. [...]
Rights
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Citation List Month
March List 2023
URL Address
Collection
Citation
Kelly D; Brimble M, “The Scream: The Emotional Dimensions of Nursing in Children's Palliative Care,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed April 16, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/18681.