Every parent who faces an illness in their child might doubt their competence to care. When a chronic illness is diagnosed, competence can be severely challenged because of the sustained and multiple disruptions to daily life. A conceptual framework entitled 'Learning to be a Parent of a Child with Asthma' was developed from the results of a descriptive phenomenological study completed in Perth, Western Australia. It describes the stages of challenges to competency that parents experience as they learn to care for their asthmatic children. The impact of this illness on parents and the extent to which they are able to help their children respond to the demands of asthma are critical components in understanding the effect of this disease on parental competency. Insight into parental competency and the relationship to chronic illness will help health professionals provide the support and information needed by parents to manage asthma in their children.

Delirium is an acute deterioration in attention, conscious state, perception, and cognition of a person. While nurses possess the theoretical understanding of the condition, they lack insight into its early recognition and management. This systematic review aims to understand what factors influence nurses as they care for patients with delirium, and to identify best practices to improve overall clinical care. The Qualitative Evidence Synthesis (QES), as a strategy process to identify gaps in research, formulate new models or strategies for care, underpinned the review. In addition to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, a methodological assessment, data were analysed using QES, as informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute Review process. Ten studies were identified and synthesised to generate four key themes. The themes included (1) nurse’s knowledge deficit; (2) increased workload and stress; (3) safety concerns among nurse when caring for patients with delirium; and (4) strategies used when caring for patients with delirium. Overall, the review has highlighted the need for increased delirium education and coping strategies among nurses to effectively care for patients with delirium. This may be augmented through regular education sessions to provide nurses with the confidence and competence to care for the acutely confused person.

This study refined the Support Needs Inventory for Parents of Asthmatic Children (SNIPAC) (Coleman, Maltby, Kristjanson, & Robinson, 2001) to produce a more parsimonious tool to assess the importance and meet the support needs of parents of children with asthma. The original tool was completed by 145 parents of 199 children with asthma, and 74 of these also provided test-retest responses. Internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and stability over time were assessed and refinements were made. Internal consistency reliability of the revised 20-item tool ranged from .77 to .95 for the three subscales of the Parent's Priority Scale (PPS), and .92 for the full PPS. Cronbach's alphas ranged from .74 to .90 for the three subscales of the Parent's Fulfillment Scale (PFS) and was .91 for the full scale. Factor analysis results of the PPS were compatible with the tool's conceptual framework. The revised 20-item tool demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in most areas. This tool may be used for research or clinical screening without imposing undue burden on parents. Further work is required to establish the tool's stability over time.

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