Family-Centered Care for Hospitalized Children: Concept Analysis

Purpose: This paper is a report on the concept analysis of family-centered care for hospitalized children. Methods: The concept analysis approach of Walker and Avant was used. A search of multidisciplinary literature published between 1960 and 2016 was undertaken using the keyword ‘family centered care’ or ‘family centered nursing’ combined with hospitalized children. Attributes, antecedents, and consequences were inductively derived from the citations analyzed (n=19). Results: The attributes of family-centered care included (1) family respect, (2) collaboration, (3) family support, and (4) information sharing. These attributes are influenced by the ‘willingness of family to participate’, ‘competency and willingness of staff,’ and ‘institution policy and system.’ Additionally, family-centered care does significantly impact ‘the health of the children’, ‘family empowerment’ and ‘work satisfaction and self-confidence of staff’. Conclusion: Family-centered care of hospitalized children as defined by the result of this study will contribute to the theoretical foundation for application in pediatric nursing practice.