Support for improving agreeableness and emotional stability in paediatric nurses' workplaces including involvement in the outdoor activities and an increase in social connection may enhance compassion satisfaction and prevent exhaustive compassion fatigue.

Aim. To identify the predictors of primary caregivers' stress in caring for in-home oxygen-dependent children by examining the association between their levels of stress, caregiver needs and social support. Background. Increasing numbers of primary caregivers of oxygen-dependent children experience caregiving stress that warrants investigation. Design. The study used a cross-sectional design with three psychometric scalesModified-Parenting Stress Index, Caregiver Needs Scale and Social Support Index. Methods. The data collected during 2010-2011 were from participants who were responsible for their child's care that included oxygen therapy for ≧6 hours/day; the children's ages ranged from 3 months-16 years. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression were used. Results. A total of 104 participants (M = 34, F = 70) were recruited, with an average age of 39Á7 years. The average age of the oxygen-dependent children was 6Á68 years and their daily use of oxygen averaged 11Á39 hours. The caregivers' overall levels of stress were scored as high and information needs were scored as the highest. The most available support from family and friends was emotional support. Informational support was mostly received from health professionals, but both instrumental and emotional support were important. Levels of stress and caregiver needs were significantly correlated. Multivariable linear regression analyses identified three risk factors predicting stress, namely, the caregiver's poor health status, the child's male gender and the caregiver's greater financial need. Conclusion. To support these caregivers, health professionals can maintain their health status and provide instrumental, emotional, informational and financial support.

This study reports the association between parental uncertainty and characteristics of 123 parent-child dyads prior to the child's herniorrhaphy. A cross-sectional study design and Mishel's Parents' Perception of Uncertainty Scale (PPUS) were used. Parent participants were married (98%), had a university degree (45%), identified with a religion (77%), and worked (69%). More boys (76%) than girls (23%) underwent herniorrhaphy (average age = 2.26 years); 60% were the first-born child and 25% were premature. More children presented with unilateral (63.4%; right = 44.7%, left = 18.7%) than bilateral (36.6%) hernias and most were primary (98%). Overall uncertainty was perceived as moderate and ambiguity had the highest score. Religion, birth order (first child), and hernia site (bilateral) explained 20.6% of total variance of uncertainty. Providing information about postoperative symptom and pain management is important for all parents, particularly for parents identified with a religion and whose first-born child had bilateral hernias.

The evidence-based results suggested that nurses have insufficient knowledge about chemotherapy. More fundamentally, however, nurses need more education about chemotherapy in nursing school and through in-hospital continuing education.

Background: An increasing number of children are undergoing flexible bronchoscopy because of tracheobronchial malacia and stenosis, but there is little research related to their parents' stress and uncertainty. Aim: To explore and identify risk factors associated with stress and uncertainty among Taiwanese parents of children with tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis in a paediatric intensive care unit. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was implemented using two psychometric scales: Parenting Stress Index and Parents' Perception of Uncertainty Scale. Parents of Taiwanese children (0-18 years/o) with a diagnosis of tracheobronchial malacia or/and tracheabronchostenosis who underwent bronchoscopy in a paediatric intensive care unit were recruited. The analysis used descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression. Results: Ninety parents who were caring for a total of 51 children were recruited. Stress and uncertainty both scored high and were positively correlated with each other. Four risk factors arising from parental stress were unemployment, parental uncertainty, the child's tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis and use of oxygen. Conclusions: Identifying likely causes of stress and uncertainty is essential for this parental group, particularly for parents facing unemployment, feelings of uncertainty and caring for children with both tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis and requiring oxygen. Relevance to clinical practice: Nursing practice can focus on better parental support for those parents who are unemployed, show feeling of uncertainty and care for children with combined tracheobronchial malacia and tracheabronchostenosis and other medical care, such as breathing symptom management, nasogastric feeding and oxygen therapy.