Role of a paediatric nurse in primary care 2: research findings

Abstract

This article is the second of a two-part article that presents the findings of a study focusing on the role and function of two qualified children's nurses, each working within a different primary healthcare team (PHCT). The first part described the variation in settings for community paediatric nurses, the paucity of literature discussing the role of a paediatric nurse working as a member of a PHCT, the application of a research methodology that incorporated practitioner values and experience, the application of naturalist inquiry and the use of a formative evaluation strategy which enabled the researcher to be involved in directing and supporting the research nurses with the data collection (Vol 11(22): 1452-60). This second part focuses on the findings and discussions where it was demonstrated that qualified children's nurses working in community setting contributes to raising the overall support and quality of care for a whole range of conditions currently perceived as low profile. There was evidence that these nurses catered for unmet needs and were, at times, functioning as nurse practitioners and on occasions as advanced practitioners. These findings may contribute as a catalyst for change in informing the development of children's nursing services as part of the Children's National Service Framework.