ABSTRACT
Scholarship on child health indicates that the early years of life are vital for all aspects of health and development. In particular, a solid health foundation predicts good life outcomes; therefore, systematic strategies for combating diseases are needed to ensure optimal health of young children in early care environments. This study examined strategies used by 48 preschool teachers from 10 pre-schools in the US Midwest in order to combat diseases. The following results emerged: Participants noted that children should not attend childcare if they are vomiting, have a fever or have diarrhea. They should be symptom-free for at least one day before returning to school. It is recommended that children be sent home if they have any disease deemed to have adverse effects on their health during the school day. Participants noted further that children must not share hats in their childcare environments to avoid transfer of head lice. Since no strategies were mentioned to help children cope with emotional distress and illness, it is recommended that teachers develop strategies that will address emotional childhood diseases in order to help all children.
ABSTRACT
This article describes the development of the FAMILY card, a family assessment instrument used in the Nursing Care Quality Initiative (NCQI) to assess the involvement and needs of family members of hospitalized elders. Through the NCQI project, particular attention has been paid to integrating both clinical expertise in geriatric nursing care and the principles of family-centered care into the nursing care provided by staff on the NCQI study units. Two case studies illustrating use of the SPICES geriatric assessment instrument and the newly developed FAMILY assessment card are included as exemplars.
