Family-focused children's end of life care in hospital and at home.

An increasing number of children and young people require end of life care, and providing them and their families with optimum support at this time is crucial. This article describes how nurses working with children and families in home, hospital and community settings used the principles of practice development methodology to develop end of life care provision and follow-up bereavement support. It outlines the 'ways of knowing' that informed developments and how parents' priorities were kept central to the process.

Psychological and educational interventions for atopic eczema in children.

Background: Psychological and educational interventions have been used as an adjunct to conventional therapy for children with atopic eczema to enhance the effectiveness of topical therapy. This is an update of the original Cochrane review.

Objectives: To assess the effect of psychological and educational interventions for atopic eczema in children.

Pilot student placements with children with complex needs.

Enabling the increasing population of children with complex and continuing health needs to live at home with their families is generally considered the ideal approach. Services for children with complex needs are commissioned from a wide range of providers, including the private and voluntary sectors. Pilot placements for two student nurses with a private company that had a significant caseload of children with complex and continuing needs were evaluated as a way of enabling student nurses to develop knowledge and skills in this field.

Learning to support children with complex and continuing health needs and their families.

Purpose: This paper reports on the evaluation of a pilot placement for preregistration child health nursing students focused on supporting children with complex needs in their homes.

Conclusions: This type of placement can be beneficial in enabling students to develop practical skills, attitudes, and values that will assist them to provide appropriate support for this client group. The pilot placement clarified some of the major organizational and practical issues that must be considered.

Learning to support children with complex needs in their homes.

There are an increasing number of children with complex and continuing health needs. The aim is that wherever possible they and their families should be supported in a way which enables them to remain at home. A part of achieving this aim is increasing the competence and confidence which nursing staff have to provide such support.