Caring in nursing: Investigating the meaning of caring from the perspective of Chinese children living with leukemia

Abstract

Background: Effective communication between nurse and patient is paramount in establishing the relationship on which patient care is based and influences the quality of nursing care leading to improved health outcomes for patients. It is necessary for nurses to understand children's perspectives of nurse–patient communication in order to choose appropriate communication skills to promote effective communication and a sweet relationship. Purpose: To explore the communication status of children who were in the early stages of living with leukemia and their perspectives of nurse–patient communication. Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese children with leukemia using a descriptive qualitative research method, and the data were analyzed using Krippendorf's content analysis. Results: Twenty-nine children with leukemia were interviewed. Three communication states were identified among children in the first three months of living with leukemia: totally unwilling to communicate, reduced communication with others and increased communication with parents. Nurse–patient communication for children with leukemia formed three themes: content, form and occasion of communication. Conclusions: With a better understanding of children's communication status and their expectations of communication, nurses can promote effective nurse–patient communication strategies to meet children's psychological needs and build harmonious relationship.

Keywords

• Leukemia
• Nurse–patient communication
• School-aged children