Nurse perspectives on supporting children and youth who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in the pediatric intensive care unit.

ABSTRACT: Many children who require hospitalization in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) are unable to or have difficulty communicating through speech, whether because of preexisting or acute conditions. Children who are unable to be heard and understood using only speech benefit from aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), including in hospital settings. This qualitative interview study sought to understand the perspectives of nurses on care and support for children who use or would benefit from aided AAC in the pediatric ICU. Participants were six nurses who worked in pediatric intensive care at a tertiary care unit of a children's hospital in the United States. Three main themes were identified related to nurses' views about supporting children's communication: (a) Caring fo

SUBMITTER: Zaylskie LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11136883 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature