![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Sunday, November 1, 2009: 4:35 PM
Learning Objective 1: Identify 3 barriers to the successful use of SGD in the hospital
Learning Objective 2: Identify 3 ways that nurses can assist in insuring appropriate access and use of SGD for children who are hospitalized.
Purpose:
Many children who require the use of speech generating devices require frequent hospitalizations due to their medical conditions. The hospital provides many barriers to the successful use of SGD while the child is an inpatient. In a study exploring family experiences of having a child who uses a SGD, the theme of the child’s utilization of the SGD while in the hospital and for pain management kept emerging. This paper explores some of the barriers to successful use of SGD in hospitalized pediatric patients.
Method:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 primary caregivers of children who have previously used or are currently using a SGD device to communicate. Interpretive phenomenology, influenced by the work of Martin Heidegger, is the guiding principle that was used to illuminate the meaning and significance of family experiences of having a child who uses a SGD. Each interview was transcribed verbatim and analyzed by the researcher and members of a hermeneutic circle composed of faculty members and doctoral students. Each team member presented their identified interpretations during regular hermeneutic circle meetings. All interpretations were discussed with the appropriate time set aside for questions and discussion. As new themes are uncovered and previously identified themes become clearer, the interpretation became more complete. Emerging themes were recorded with the supporting quotations included.
Results:
A variety of common themes regarding the use of the SGD while the child was in the hospital and for pain management issues emerged from the data with the most frequently occurring barrier identified as a lack of appropriate SGD alternatives for the children while they are hospitalized.
Implications:
The information gleaned from the research will be used to assist medical professionals and educators in identifying barriers to the use of SGD while the child is hospitalized by exploring the stories of families of children who are using a SGD. By identifying the barriers to the child’s use of a SGD while they are hospitalized, nurses can work with the appropriate speech language pathologists, child life personnel, and hospital administrators to insure that these children have access to their device or a viable alternative so that they can communicate effectively with their caregivers. No child should have to be silenced by illness, and nurses are in an excellent position to insure that this does not occur with their patients.
Many children who require the use of speech generating devices require frequent hospitalizations due to their medical conditions. The hospital provides many barriers to the successful use of SGD while the child is an inpatient. In a study exploring family experiences of having a child who uses a SGD, the theme of the child’s utilization of the SGD while in the hospital and for pain management kept emerging. This paper explores some of the barriers to successful use of SGD in hospitalized pediatric patients.
Method:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 primary caregivers of children who have previously used or are currently using a SGD device to communicate. Interpretive phenomenology, influenced by the work of Martin Heidegger, is the guiding principle that was used to illuminate the meaning and significance of family experiences of having a child who uses a SGD. Each interview was transcribed verbatim and analyzed by the researcher and members of a hermeneutic circle composed of faculty members and doctoral students. Each team member presented their identified interpretations during regular hermeneutic circle meetings. All interpretations were discussed with the appropriate time set aside for questions and discussion. As new themes are uncovered and previously identified themes become clearer, the interpretation became more complete. Emerging themes were recorded with the supporting quotations included.
Results:
A variety of common themes regarding the use of the SGD while the child was in the hospital and for pain management issues emerged from the data with the most frequently occurring barrier identified as a lack of appropriate SGD alternatives for the children while they are hospitalized.
Implications:
The information gleaned from the research will be used to assist medical professionals and educators in identifying barriers to the use of SGD while the child is hospitalized by exploring the stories of families of children who are using a SGD. By identifying the barriers to the child’s use of a SGD while they are hospitalized, nurses can work with the appropriate speech language pathologists, child life personnel, and hospital administrators to insure that these children have access to their device or a viable alternative so that they can communicate effectively with their caregivers. No child should have to be silenced by illness, and nurses are in an excellent position to insure that this does not occur with their patients.