The habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities—beyond traditional nursing practices and principles?

Research-based descriptions of the contents of the habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities are lacking. The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities in a Finnish children’s neurological ward. In addition, the purpose was to outline the principles that directed the nursing functions (which consisted of various nursing interventions). The data collection included observation, a retrospective think-aloud method with video-taped nursing situations, the nursing records, and an open-ended questionnaire. The data were analysed with a qualitative content analysis of the manifest and latent content. The findings show that habilitation nursing in a children’s neurological ward consists of assessing the child’s skills, supporting the child’s development, and collaborating with the child’s immediate adults. When implementing those functions with nursing interventions, the nurses demonstrated four principles: client-originated and professional-originated principles, and individual-centred and community-centred principles. Becoming conscious of these principles and the theoretical frameworks behind them enables the development of a nursing science based model for habilitation nursing.