IMPROVING PEDIATRIC NURSING CARE BY A PROFESSIONAL COUNCIL
Kaldenhoven J, Velden C. van
Professional Council, Dutch Association of Pediatric Nurses, Utrecht,
the Netherlands
One of the goals of the Dutch
Association of Pediatric Nurses is to improve nursing care for children in
hospital and in the community.
By the Professional Council,
protocols are developed, and nursing standards are suggested. The
Professional Council reports to the General Board, and protocols and
standards are submitted to the Annual Meeting of the Association, before
they are formalized.
This procedure guarantees
that protocols and standards are widely supported by the pediatric nursing
profession in the Netherlands.
Products of the Professional
Council are amongst others: Nursing care protocols for children (e.g. pain,
fear, nutrition in the first year) standards of care for pediatric nursing,
a function profile for the pediatric nurse, and a paper outlining the
Association's vision on pediatric nursing.
The presentation outlines the
importance of a Professional Council, gives a sample of how the Council
works, and hopes to inspire other Pediatric Nursing Associations to accept
this method as a means to improve nursing care for children in their
countries.