The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that originated in China was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. To limit the spread of the disease, the Sri Lankan government announced the closure of all educational institutes. The school closure encouraged the use of home-based learning, and this transition was a critical period for both teachers and students. Because most Sri Lankan children reside in rural areas, our study examined how teachers in rural schools experienced the lockdown in relation to their teaching role during the pandemic.  We used a descriptive phenomenological study design with purposive sampling until we achieved the saturation point. In-depth interviews were conducted via the Zoom platform, using a validated guideline that was piloted before the study and analyzed based on the thematic analysis approach. We identified five major themes: (1) adjustment to the online teaching/learning process; (2) experience of challenges; (3) experience of new opportunities; (4) impact of parental involvement; and (5) impact of teachers’ and children’s physical, psycho-social well-being. The study identified lack of access to technology and lack of proper guidance from the family as challenges during home-based learning. Parental involvement during teaching sessions decreased teachers’ autonomy. Inadequate and inaccurate evaluation of the students disrupts the learning process. Teachers perceived that children’s distance from classroom learning and their peer groups will affect the children’s development.

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COVID-19 has led to significant isolation resulting in a rise in educational inequity and mental illness among youth. A systematic literature review of qualitative studies was conducted adhering to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, to describe the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Three Electronic databases were searched for original, qualitative, peer-reviewed, full text, English journal articles published from December 2019- to May 2020, conducted among children and their parents. We extracted the results that describe the psychological impact on children and their parents amidst COVID-19. Thirteen studies were included in the final review. Four major themes (1. Negative and maladaptive behavior 2. Social and psychological disruption 3. Emotion regulation 4. Value of family time) were identified through Inductive Thematic Synthesis. Although children regulate their emotions effectively, most of the children seem to experience maladaptive behaviors which may have a devastating effect on their development. Health care professionals, caregivers, school officials, and social workers should address these aspects of childcare during a pandemic and in the post-pandemic period.

Background: Pediatric discharge planning is a complex process, and that nurses need lengthy preparations. Role confusion among nurses will disrupt the smooth planning of the discharge. In Sri Lanka, although there is a possibility of reducing health costs through effective discharge planning led by pediatric nurses, it is questionable whether Sri Lankan nurses have clarified their role in this process.Method: This systematic review was conducted to map the different roles of nurses in the pediatric discharge planning process. Electronic databases of PubMed and CINAHL were searched for peer-reviewed journal articles among the pediatric population from 2005-2019, using the keywords such as discharge planning, pediatric nurse, care transitions, transitional care, and Sri Lankan nurse.Results: Articles that resulted in the word combination ‘Discharge planning and pediatric nursing (n=329) were used for screening. Two hundred and forty articles out of the nursing scope and sixty articles that do not describe an apparent nursing involvement in the discharge process were excluded, based on abstract review and full-text review, respectively. Sixteen studies were included in the final review. Few literature was found on the topic among Sri Lankan pediatric population. Four main categories of nurses’ roles were identified with the thematic analysis: discharge educator, discharge collaborator, post-discharge care coordinator, and family counselor. Conclusion: In Sri Lanka, no such defined roles of a nurse have been established yet in the discharge planning of pediatric patients. These roles may help nurses carry out discharge planning effectively, and future studies are needed on this topic in Sri Lanka.

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