Improving the professional support for parents of young infants
Ritva Eronen A C , Helen Calabretto B and Jan Pincombe B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Child Youth and Women’s Health Program, ACT Health, GPO Box 825, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
B School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: ritva.eronen@homemail.com.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 17(2) 186-194 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY10062
Submitted: 6 September 2010 Accepted: 10 December 2010 Published: 7 June 2011
Abstract
The objective of this study was to discuss ideas for improving child health services on the basis of findings of an observational study that was designed to explore the role of child health nurses in supporting parents during the first 6 months following the birth of an infant. As part of a larger study in a child health service in urban Australia, surveys were used to collect data from two independent samples of both parents and nurses at an 8-month interval. Data were condensed using factor analysis; regression analyses were used to determine which aspects of care were most important for the parents, and importance–performance analysis was used to determine which aspects of care needed improvement. While the majority of parents valued support from child health nurses, a need for improvement was identified in empowering parents to make their own decisions, discussing emotional issues with parents, providing continuity of care and giving consistent advice. Organisations should value and provide support for child health nurses in their invisible, non-quantifiable work of supporting families. The structure of child health services should also provide child health nurses continuity of care with the families they support.
Additional keywords: child health nursing, child health service, importance–performance analysis, parent support.
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