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British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research - Vol. 10, No. 2

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/jbemi.102.14212.

Alnaimi, B. I. (2023). HSN7038: Perspectives of Family Centred Health & Social Care (2211_SPR). British Journal of Healthcare and

Medical Research, Vol - 10(2). 80-90.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

HSN7038: Perspectives of Family Centred Health & Social Care

(2211_SPR)

Btihal Ibraheem Alnaimi

King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health sciences, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Family-Centred Care (FCC) represents a structure that offers enhanced healthcare

decision-making as a result of enhanced collaboration and information between

families and professional healthcare providers. Achieving this requires training,

education, and support, which would ensure that all healthcare providers and staff

have a shared understanding of FCC practices. The various healthcare service

providers and institutions within a single geographical zone can participate in this

program to improve the level of cooperation between them. Therefore, this paper

conducts a critical examination of the FCC approach with a particular emphasis on

the way the FCC influences the practice in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU).

Families are central to children’s lives and FCC is an approach that recognizes this

fact; thus, allowing families to engage in their children’s treatment on an equal

footing and ensuring the best possible results for children, families, and the

institutions providing care. Along with a review of this field’s studies, this paper

discusses the way the FCC theory came to be developed and the reason behind its

significance. This paper also refers to a case study to better understand the way to

effectively apply FCC in practice while avoiding the obstacles that may arise.

Keywords: Social Care, Family Centred Health, HSN7038, Perspectives, Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION

It is stressful for both the patient and the family when a child has to be admitted to a Paediatric

Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The majority of pediatric deaths in hospitals occur in PICUs, and

regardless of the outcome, families may feel anxious and fearful about their child’s health

(Abdelkader et al., 2016). Parental role dissatisfaction and poor communication from

healthcare teams are also contributing factors to parental distress.

Richards et al. (2017) noted that this can cause long-term psychological effects, and there is a

link between the stress parents are under and their child’s long-term mental health. Family- Centred Care (FCC) is a partnership approach to pediatric care that encourages parents to take

an active role in their child’s care.

Richards et al. (2017) also showed that it is ‘an important contributor to addressing family

distress and improving long-term outcomes of children and their families’. FCC is also one of

the most important indicators of contemporary paediatric nursing, and it has received a great

deal of attention in the literature (Richards et al., 2017). Abdelkader et al. (2016) highlighted

that FCC recognizes the importance of the family in a child’s life and encourages parental

participation in paediatric care based on the individual needs of the child and their family.

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Alnaimi, B. I. (2023). HSN7038: Perspectives of Family Centred Health & Social Care (2211_SPR). British Journal of Healthcare and Medical Research,

Vol - 10(2). 80-90.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/jbemi.102.14212

This paper will conduct a critical examination of the FFC approach, with a particular emphasis

on how it influences practice in PICUs. Families are central to children’s lives, and FCC is an

approach that recognizes this fact, allowing families to participate in their children’s

hospitalization on an equal footing and thus ensuring the best possible outcomes for children,

families, and the institutions providing care.

Along with a review of the literature, this paper will discuss how the theory of FCC came to be

developed and why it is significant. This paper will also refer to a case study, in order to better

understand how to effectively apply FCC in practice while avoiding the obstacles that may arise.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Understanding the Family-Centred Care (FCC)

The term FCC is a common one in paediatric health facilities. In these care settings, treatment

plans must be tailored to the children admitted and take into account the values, preferences,

and beliefs of their families. This is especially important when a child has experienced trauma,

as their family will play a crucial role in supporting their well-being (Jolley and Shields, 2009,

Shields, 2015).

FFC shares commonalities with several other terms, for example, ‘parental participation’, which

means that parents who accompany their child to the hospital will be involved in some aspects

of their child’s care (Chattu and Kumar, 2018). Another related term is ‘care-by-parent’, which

describes the creation of a home-like environment where parents and their unwell child can

feel comfortable. In addition, the term ‘partnership-in-care’ refers to paediatric care in which

parents and nurses work together (Shields, 2015). This kind of approach goes against the

traditional ‘medical model’ of health care, in which patients and their families are reassured

rather than treated as decision-makers. However, some individuals and their families prefer a

more participatory approach to a paternalistic one (Chattu and Kumar, 2018).

A further term that can be discussed concerning FCC is Child-Centered Care (CCC), which means

that children and their interests must be at the center of healthcare workers’ thinking and

practice (Carter and Ford, 2013). CCC also refers to enabling children and young people to be

active participants in their care. It can be considered a further development in the ongoing

evolution of FCC or as an extension of this approach. It should be noted that in FCC and CCC, a

child’s health and social well-being cannot be the sole focus; both must be taken into account

(Lee, 2015).

According to Franck and Callery (2004), the difference between FCC and CCC is one of emphasis

and reflects the extent to which children’s concerns are reflected in the organization of care.

CCC recognizes children as self-aware social actors in and of themselves. Its underlying

assumption is that children’s views are not always the same as those of their parents or

healthcare providers, and that, when given the opportunity, children can represent themselves.

Because professionals may assume that there is a shared family interest, the term FCC can mean

that the child’s voice is subsumed under that of the family as a whole (Lee, 2015). When this is

not the case, such as when the child has a different perspective from the parents or in cases of

child neglect or abuse, the FCC approach may face difficulties.