• To recognise the importance of seeking the views of children about their experiences of healthcare
• To enhance your understanding of children’s experiences of staying in hospital from the perspective of children and children’s nurses
• To consider the improvements in nursing practice that could be made to enhance the care of children in hospital
Children should have a voice in relation to all aspects of healthcare as respected and credible service users, a belief endorsed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The children’s nurse is the healthcare professional who delivers care most frequently to children in hospital and their families, so is in an optimal position to offer valuable insight into children’s experiences of being in hospital. Therefore, it is important to listen to the voices of children and children’s nurses in relation to this area. This article is informed by a narrative literature review and study, undertaken by the author as part of her doctoral thesis, which explored children’s experiences of staying overnight in hospital from the perspective of children and children’s nurses. In this article, the author summarises the main findings from the study and considers the implications for children’s nursing practice based on her reflection on these findings.
Nursing Children and Young People. 35, 5, 22-27. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2023.e1447
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Clarke S (2023) Exploring the voices of children and children’s nurses in hospital: implications for nursing practice. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2023.e1447
Published online: 06 March 2023
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