[Motivation and psychological suitability for work in a pediatric intensive care unit]. / Zur Motivation und psychologischen Eignung für die Arbeit auf einer pädiatrischen Intensivstation.

During interviews with physicians and nurses on the general pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of the University of Heidelberg Children's Hospital personnel reported on various aspects of their work. One complex of questions dealt with the motivation to work in intensive medicine. Physicians and nurses showed different patterns of motivation. Physicians could be clearly divided into those who found intensive medicine fascinating and those who tended to fear it. Nurses' motivation is multifaceted and differentiated. The information gained from the interviews questions the sense of obligating physicians without interest or aptitude to rotate to an ICU during their specialty training in pediatrics. This policy is associated with corresponding risks for patients. The work of often superiorly qualified nurses becomes more difficult.

[Consequences of the ambivalence about openness and transparency]. / Konsequenzen der Ambivalenz gegenüber Offenheit und Transparenz.

Personnel at the general intensive care unit at the University of Heidelberg Children's Hospital aim for a maximum of openness and transparency for parents regarding everything relevant to their own child. In this context ward nurses were interviewed about diverse aspects of their work. Aside from technical-medical activities, nurses regarded the relationship to the parents to be a central point in their work. The recognize that the relationship to the parents influences the relationship to the child and partially even the nursing of the child. Nurses are in favor of openness and transparency in relating to parents, however, reality reveals contradictions. Nurses differentiated attitude and the consequences for physicians, psychologists and parents are discussed. A case example is presented.