Abstract:

This capstone project is to wrap up three blocks - Medical/Surgical nursing, Maternal and Child health nursing and Mental Health Nursing. Using a case study of nineteen months old male child hospitalized with Delayed Developmental Milestone and Cerebral Palsy; a three-segment self –structured survey was carried out to elicit the Knowledge of Nurses on the Holistic Care of a Child with Delayed Developmental Milestone and Cerebral Palsy. Data collated from 24 Registered Nurses revealed 83.3 % are conversant with Delayed Milestone, 54.2% of nurses are not aware of the services to be rendered to a child in need, only 33.3% correctly listed other facilities and services for the holistic care. 66.7% are aware of their role in influencing the treatment protocol, 62.5% have nursed a child with Milestone delay, while 45.8% Cerebral Palsy. Only 25% correctly completed the third segment of the survey that expressed their knowledge in writing despite their experience and qualification, which may limit their skill in early identification of delayed milestone. Most experts agree that the earlier the diagnosis for Cerebral Palsy, the better. Thus the need for nurses to upgrade themselves to enhance early identification and referral of such problem for early developmental milestone screening, diagnosis, treatment plan, and early intervention to achieve an overall holistic care and development of the child; and increases the family chances of qualifying to get support measures from the government and non-governmental agencies.

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Doi:10.1590/0104-1169.0272.2636 PMCID: PMC4660419 PMID: 26487147

https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0104-1169.02722636