Examination of pediatric nurses' attitudes on shared decision making with children and parents in Dutch hospitals, a cross-sectional study

Abstract

PURPOSE: Shared decision making (SDM) is a fundamental aspect of healthcare, with nurses playing an important role. SDM in pediatric care requires a distinct approach by nurses due to the unique characteristics of pediatric care. In order to refine the implementation of SDM, it is crucial to understand the attitudes of pediatric nurses towards SDM. In this study, the primary objective was to describe and evaluate pediatric nurses' attitudes towards SDM with children, compared to SDM with parents in nursing care at Dutch hospitals. The secondary objective was to evaluate the association between pediatric nurses' demographic characteristics and nurses' attitudes towards SDM with children or parents. METHOD: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted where data was collected using a convenience sample of pediatric nurses working in Dutch hospitals from January 2024 to June 2024. At two hospitals, 136 nurses were invited to complete the Dutch Nursing Shared Decision Making Attitude instrument. In addition, pediatric nurses were invited to participate through the Dutch Nursing Association and social media. RESULTS: A total of 125 nurses responded to the instrument, of which 103 were included in the analysis. Primary, all pediatric nurses reported positive attitudes towards SDM, and their attitude scores were significantly higher for SDM with children compared to SDM with parents. Secondary, no association was found between pediatric nurses' attitudes and nurses' demographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: Pediatric nurses are positive towards the use of SDM in clinical pediatric care, which is an important step towards the implementation of SDM in pediatric healthcare.