A prospective cross-sectional study of child healthcare competence among nurses within primary healthcare in Sweden

Abstract

Child-centered care is based on the fact that children are individuals with their own rights. Since January 2020, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is law in Sweden. Children's meeting with professionals is important because it becomes the children's impression of healthcare that may reflect the children's future image of and feelings about the whole healthcare system. This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to explore child healthcare competence among nurses within primary healthcare. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire among 101 primary healthcare district nurses, specialist nurses, and registered nurses. The study was compliant with the STROBE checklist. The results showed that the nurses have a good ability to apply child-centered care during children's visits to primary healthcare. To further implement a child-centered approach in primary healthcare, nurses need to have access to workplace educational opportunities continually, to enhance their child competence throughout their nursing careers.