Pediatric nurses in pediatricians’ offices: a survey for primary care pediatricians

Abstract

Background The role played by nurses in caring for children in pediatricians’ officies in the community is crucial to ensure integrated care. In Italy, pediatricians are responsible for the health of children aged 0–14 years living in the community. This study aimed to describe Italian primary care pediatricians’ opinions about the usefulness of several nursing activities that pediatric nurses could perform in pediatricians’ offices. Methods An online survey with pediatricians working in primary care in Italy was conducted between April–December 2018. A 40-item questionnaire was used to assess four types of nursing activities: clinical care, healthcare education, disease prevention, and organizational activities. The answers ranged from 1 (not useful at all) to 6 (very useful). Moreover, three open-ended questions completed the questionnaire. Results Overall, 707 pediatricians completed the online survey. Participants were mainly female (63%), with a mean age of 57.74 (SD = 6.42). The presence of a pediatric nurse within the pediatrician’s office was considered very useful, especially for healthcare education (Mean 4.90; SD 1.12) and disease prevention (Mean 4.82; SD 1.11). Multivariate analysis confirmed that pediatricians ‘with less working experience’, ‘having their office in a small town’, and ‘collaborating with a secretary and other workers in the office’ rated the nurse’s activities significantly more useful. Conclusions A pediatric nurse in the pediatrician’s office can significantly contribute to many activities for children and their families in the community. These activities include clinical care, healthcare education, disease prevention, and the organizational processes of the office. Synergic professional activity between pediatricians and pediatric nurses could ensure higher health care standards in the primary care setting.

Reduction of Waiting Times and Patients Leaving Without Being Seen in the Tertiary Pediatric Emergency Department

“…The encouraging results obtained through the new organizational model described in the present study could be further enhanced by interventions that involve, for instance, the presence of pediatric nurses in the offices of pediatricians in the community, where, in synergy with primary care pediatricians, they can play an important role in reducing inappropriate access to the ED by fostering prevention, education, and continuity of care 22–25 …”

Primary Care Physicians’ Perceptions on Nurses’ Shared Responsibility for Quality of Patient Care: A Survey

“…In another study, physicians working in outpatient oncology clinics in Ontario, Canada reported that nurses’ input on patient care was extremely valuable [ 31 ]. Italian primary care paediatricians had a positive opinion about having a paediatric nurse in their office and rated ‘very useful’ most of the suggested activities that paediatric nurses could perform in their offices, specifically, healthcare education and disease prevention [ 32 ]. Lack of physician recognition of nurses’ professional roles was found to be a major obstacle for establishing good communication and collaboration between these professions [ 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

“…These findings are in line with those reported by Gualano et al [ 16 ], who also showed that physicians’ age is an important predictor of how essential they perceived a nurse’s presence alongside the family physician: older physicians (>50) perceived joint nurse-physician work as less important. Similarly, Dall’Oglio found that younger paediatricians who collaborated with a secretary and other workers in the office considered the activity of nurses providing healthcare education in their office as more useful compared to older participants [ 32 ]. While primary care is still based largely on the physician-focused traditional model of care, younger physicians did exhibit a positive attitude towards a model of enhanced sharing, which may be a promising starting point.…”

Educational Intervention With Nurses Regarding Childcare Consultation: A Mixed Method Study

“…According to an Italian study carried out with pediatricians linked to primary care, health education actions are the most important in nursing practice 33 . Thus, it is highlighted that improving educational activities in childcare consultations is fundamental, as it enables a more humanized and qualified approach, providing greater security for mother 6 .…”