South Auckland Community Paediatric Nursing Service: A Framework for Evaluation
Margaret Horsburgh, RGON, RM, EdD, MA (Hons), Dip Ed, FCNA(NZ) Director of Education Unit, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland
Victoria Smith, RCpN, MNS, Dip PH, BN, Dip App Sci, CIC, FCNA(NZ) Honorary Clinical Lecturer, The University of Auckland
Denise Kivell, RGON, BHSc Clinical Nurse Director, Kidz First™ and Intermediary Care, Counties Manukau District Health Board
Reference: Horsburgh, M., Smith, V., & Kivell, D. (2002). South Auckland community paediatric nursing service: A framework for evaluation. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 18(3), 40-49.
Abstract:
Abstract
This paper describes the Kidz First™ paediatric community homecare nursing team in South Auckland. While the service was not initially planned as an integrated approach to child health, its evolution reflects the move to more community based care delivery and the expansion of nurse-led initiatives in New Zealand. The components of a community paediatric home nursing team as described by Eaton (2000) are used to provide the framework with which to describe the service. A focus group held with the Kidz First™ paediatric community homecare nurses has enabled definition of the key nursing components provided to children and their families living in South Auckland.
Keywords
Paediatric nursing, community, home healthcare, ambulatory care
Introduction
A paediatric home care nursing team has been established in South Auckland with a focus on coordinating care in the home situation. This service, Kidz First™ Homecare, has evolved over time from initial beginnings as a paediatrician-led outpatient service, to become a family focused nurse-led service centred around the child in their home environment. The service is evolving rapidly in response to local needs of a culturally diverse population. Home healthcare services for children have developed rapidly in a number of countries. A recent paper (Eaton, 2000) indicates that by 1996 there were over 150 paediatric community nursing services in England. In New Zealand the number of such services is unknown. The principle that children should only be admitted to hospital if the care they require cannot be given at home is a factor in the establishment of home health care services. Continued