Abstract
Background and aim:
The terms for Registered Nurses who care for the families of children and young people (CYP) differs from country to country. Nurses in the United Kingdom can register as ‘Children’s Nurses’ and ‘Pediatric Nurses’, whereas in most countries it is as ‘Registered Nurses’. Less is known about other important roles, such as family nurses and public health nurses to name a few. The aim of this study was to identify terminology and roles of nurses who care for families and their children to inform a larger research project: The ASTOUND study.
Methods:
An online cross-sectional survey launched between May-August 2024. Distributed to members of International Family Nursing Association, International Network for Child & Family Centred Care and via snowballing to contacts within global countries. Questions were developed by the researchers and an expert panel from the ASTOUND study.
Results:
Results were analysed using content analysis. There were 76 responses across 34 countries with at least one response from all six continents and Oceania. As this was an open survey to all global contacts with the link, we were unable to capture non-response rates. 20 different terms were recorded. 18 countries recorded one term and 16 having more than one term. Prevalent terms were ‘Paediatric/Pediatric Nurse’ (n=28), followed by ‘Children’s Nurse’ (n=7), ‘Child Health Nurse’ (n=5), ‘Neonatology’ or ‘Neonatal Nurse’ (n=3) and ‘Public Health Nurse’ (n=2). 15 additional terms recorded. An open textbox noted additional findings, including differences in terms depending on the countries state/province, the setting or the age of the population.
Discussion and conclusions:
There are examples of terms rooted in history and culture, however, there is no clear unification. The survey offers a snapshot of international terms across responding countries, yet the shifting of terms may change between country to country in the future.
The terms for Registered Nurses who care for the families of children and young people (CYP) differs from country to country. Nurses in the United Kingdom can register as ‘Children’s Nurses’ and ‘Pediatric Nurses’, whereas in most countries it is as ‘Registered Nurses’. Less is known about other important roles, such as family nurses and public health nurses to name a few. The aim of this study was to identify terminology and roles of nurses who care for families and their children to inform a larger research project: The ASTOUND study.
Methods:
An online cross-sectional survey launched between May-August 2024. Distributed to members of International Family Nursing Association, International Network for Child & Family Centred Care and via snowballing to contacts within global countries. Questions were developed by the researchers and an expert panel from the ASTOUND study.
Results:
Results were analysed using content analysis. There were 76 responses across 34 countries with at least one response from all six continents and Oceania. As this was an open survey to all global contacts with the link, we were unable to capture non-response rates. 20 different terms were recorded. 18 countries recorded one term and 16 having more than one term. Prevalent terms were ‘Paediatric/Pediatric Nurse’ (n=28), followed by ‘Children’s Nurse’ (n=7), ‘Child Health Nurse’ (n=5), ‘Neonatology’ or ‘Neonatal Nurse’ (n=3) and ‘Public Health Nurse’ (n=2). 15 additional terms recorded. An open textbox noted additional findings, including differences in terms depending on the countries state/province, the setting or the age of the population.
Discussion and conclusions:
There are examples of terms rooted in history and culture, however, there is no clear unification. The survey offers a snapshot of international terms across responding countries, yet the shifting of terms may change between country to country in the future.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 26 Jun 2025 |
| Event | 17th International Family Nursing Conference - Crown Perth, Perth, Australia Duration: 17 Jun 2025 → 20 Jun 2025 https://internationalfamilynursing.org/conference/ifnc17/ |
Conference
| Conference | 17th International Family Nursing Conference |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Perth |
| Period | 17/06/25 → 20/06/25 |
| Internet address |