Nursing is one of the most important aspects of the Healthcare and Medicine industry due to its direct application to society at large. The hard efforts of medical professionals have transformed the way fatal diseases are cured by not only discovering new drugs but also by creating long-term relationships with patients to make the treatment process more effective (Lewis, 2015). Nursing is one such industry that works from the ground up in a society to properly analyze public health. The current research study, “Parents’ experiences and nurses’ perceptions of decision making about childhood immunization” intends to study of experiences and perceptions that the parents’ and nurses’ have developed in context to child immunization. The study finds its significance in the decision-making process of the parents regarding the immunization along with the motivations created by the nurses to facilitate such decisions for the betterment of the children in particular and the society in general. Thus, the study confirms its relevance with the nursing career in view of the professional accountabilities and ethical liabilities of the profession.
A step to securing public health
First, the research finds a richer relevance to the nursing profession as it encourages support and sustenance for securing the public health. Nursing and healthcare industry is a social platform that seeks for cooperation and understating. As evident from the research study, a mutual understanding between parents and nurses are very vital when it comes to the decision-making on child's health (Green and Thorogood, 2013). The partnership and understanding of both parent and nurses may create a cooperative environment resulting in a developed mutual trust. Such collaboration facilitates decision-making.
In some cases where parents have a good experience regarding child immunization according to their account of the past immunization programs, it would be easy for them to understand the reason for the immunization. It would help them make a timely decision on how to undertake their child through immunization process. A positive perception on nurses towards child immunization helps them to come up with productive ideas that can be easily welcomed by parents and other medical stakeholders in healthcare facilities. At this point, the mutual understanding and expectations from both parents and nursing professional will result to sound decisions based on child immunization programs. It will, therefore, make it possible for the medical professional to make significant headway in medical knowledge advancement and improvements in the child care programs.
Child immunization has been one of the most trending studies in the field of medicine. Children are susceptible to frequently occurring diseases that could be a threat to their survival and sometimes can prove fatal. The immune system of the children is very weak and needs to be boosted to fight some diseases that can kill them or cause lasting damages (Dye, et al. 2013). Most of the studies have shown that it has always been successful making children free from acquiring severe diphtheria, tetanus, and polio. Also, Whopping cough and measles are always less common though they are immunized.
However, it is to be noted that the research study shows how parents are very much concerned about whether to give their child an immunization doze or not. The perception of nurses’ and the of the parents’ experience play a very important role in the decision. The research shows that how nurses could perform beyond from just being a professional giving immunization doze to children. She has to be more than that. A nurse can educate the parents who have some sort of fear regarding the immunization program. During the study, one of the nurses says, “…my job is not just to immunize. My job is to educate, so that either way, [parents] are making an informed decision…and when [parents] are educated, [they] lose their fear.”Parents do possess negative opinion about the immunization and the nurses’ makes them perceive what is positive about it. A parent mentions, “I’m not sure what is in the vaccine. Is there mercury? Is there anything else?” This is where the nurses’ play their role.
A nurse is a symbol of knowledge, trust, and motivation
The research is very significant in its approach as it brings out the concept of a mutually-accountability of both the parents’ and nurses’ in the parlance of taking tough decisions in context to the immunization. The research study makes it clear that in the decision-making process nurses’ have a bigger role to play. Not only because they are on the other side i.e., the children belong to others but, they are professionally trained to clear every misconception regarding a treatment process that may arise in the minds of the patients’ or their loved ones’. The validity of the study is quite phenomenal because of its concrete methodology applied to get the desired conclusions and recommendations regarding the immunization of the children.
It is quite evident from the study that the nurses need to be motivated by themselves to motivate the parents. The parents’ role in child protection across all immunization decisions needs to be acknowledged to make them feel that they too are important. It would help in developing a relationship between the nurses’ and the parents’ for better results. Quoting one of the parent respondents “It is a hard decision to make. But after talking [to the nurse] I felt a lot better. Because she wasn’t angry at us.” The relationship would itself create a vast space for motivation which in turn would lead the parents’ to a better decision.
Parent will not have a hard time in deciding whether or not to take their kids for immunization. Parents will have a good knowledge based on experience from successful practices of immunization. They will then realize it is their responsibility to take care of their children. It will also be their responsibility when it comes to the epidemics and pandemics of communicating diseases. On the other hand, nurses also become more responsible when giving the needed care to children because they have developed a positive perception and that they need to convince the parent that the methods are best for their child (Bowling, 2014). This calls for an action for protection where both parent and burses give their full commitment to the services of the kids. This is important to improving the services of the care and medical facilities in improving people's health and minimizing associated health risks.
Widening a Pool of Information concerning child Immunization in Nursing
Finally, the research is important in increasing the knowledge base due to increased search for information about immunization. The views and opinions from parents, nurses, medical expert providers, past personal experience various families and friends are having the knowledge about immunization as general. The information can be therefore be used to educate other people about immunization so that in, either way, they can rely on the info ration to make timely and informed decisions. As a matter of fact, not all individuals have access to health information, and therefore it needs an extra effort in reaching them through various programs (Nicolau, et al. 2017). The access to the information reduces the fear that the parents have with their kids and care services. This gives nurses an easy time in rendering services as they deal will very informed individuals across the said regions. It also saves time in the health facilities and patient decongestion as most of the people will rush for the prevention of the diseases that waiting for their treatments.
Conclusion
Parents’ experience and nurses’ perception are the deciding factors that can secure the public health. The research study finds a richer relevance with the nursing profession as the nurses’ have a bigger impact on the decision-making process of the parents’ regarding immunizing their children. The nurses’ could play a catalyst for motivation that could change the landscape of the health scenario regarding the child health.
It is evident that majority of the people across the world have a positive view of the medical research. It is beneficial to the general society of healthcare. Although there are little facts known about the attitude of the people carrying out research, the available research has always indicated that most of the research participants have shown positive experience. Nursing research has acted as the backbone in improving the general performance of health care and social well-being of individuals. It is, therefore, important to carry out more and frequent researches on various diseases and factors surrounding management in nursing.
Reference
Bowling, A. (2014). Research methods in health: investigating health and health services. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Dye, C., Reeder, J. C., & Terry, R. F. (2013). Research for universal health coverage.
Green, J., & Thorogood, N. (2013). Qualitative methods for health research. Sage.
Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4).
Nicolau, B., Castonguay, G., Levine, A., Hong, Q. N., Summer Institute 2015 Participants, & Pluye, P. (2017). Applied Mixed Methods in Oral Health Research: Importance and Example of a Training Program. JDR Clinical & Translational Research, 2(3).
