Nursing Care Specialist for Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Introduction: Children with cystic fibrosis need a holistic approach by specialized pediatric nurses who are actively involved in coordinating the care of these children and their families, not only within the hospital but also in the community. Aim: The purpose of the review was to explore the current literature concerning the role of specialized pediatric nurse in care of children with cystic fibrosis. Method: A literature review was conducted based on articles published during the period 2001–2015 in electronic databases such as PubMed and Science Direct. The keywords used were “cystic fibrosis”, “children”, “specialist nurse”, “hospital”, “community”. Results: It was found that cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that occurs more often in Caucasians with severe impacts on women compared to men. Specialized pediatric nurse has an active role, coordinating actions related to prevention, diagnosis, control of infections and other complications of intravenous and other treatments, including nutritional support and management of the psycho affective disorders. Furthermore, the specialized pediatric nurses support and educate children with cystic fibrosis, as well as their families, and they also coordinate the therapeutic treatment in the community, in order to ensure that the high level of care provided at the hospital will still continues. Conclusion: The qualified pediatric nurses coordinate care among the patient and the family, community and hospital services.