Care of Dying Child – Health of the children has been considered as the vital importance to all societies because children are the basic resource for the future of humankind. Nursing care of children is concerned for both the health of the children and for the illnesses that affect their growth and development. The increasing complexity of medical and nursing science has created a need for special area of child care, i.e. pediatric nursing.
Pediatric nursing is the specialized area of nursing practice concerning the care of children during wellness and illness. It includes preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care of children. It emphasizes on all round development of body, mind and spirit of the growing individual. Thus, pediatric nursing involves in giving assistance, care and support to the growing and developing children to achieve their potential for functioning with fullest capacity.
Care of Dying Child
Roles of Nurse in the Care of Dying Children
- Relieve the pain and the apprehension related to the condition.
- Promote social interaction, and other activities in which the child is interested.
- Make the child as comfortable as possible and try to ease the child’s anxiety.
- Helps the parents and care givers in daily care of the child.
- Try to arrange for meetings between parents of critically ill patients admitted in the hospital.
- Encourage and help the family in carrying out any religious or cultural customs if they wish.
- Encourage the parents to vent out their feelings.
- Listen patiently to any questions by the parents and clean misconceptions if any.
- If the grieving process continues for a long time, guide the parents to seek professional counseling.
Nursing Care of Dying Child:
- Strictly monitor every moment of the patient condition.
- Care of the dying patient and the comforting of the patient’s family one of the most important practice of a nurse.
- Nursing care of critically ill and a dying patient needs an unusual degree of alertness, resourcefulness, observation, sympathy and tact for the patient, his relatives and close friends.
- The nurse should know the Religious faith of her patient.
- When death is approaching, the patient should not be left alone even if he/she is
unconscious. - If relatives are present, they should remain within call to give comfort and assistance as required.
- The relatives should be given enough time to be with the dying patient.
- The dying person may be shifted to a special room or privacy must be maintained by using screen. The sick room should be quiet.
- A nurse should give the opportunity to the patient to die gracefully. The presence of religious priest and prayers helps the patient.
- Children must not be allowed to stand in a car when in motion.
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