Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Family-centered care (FCC) is a central element of child health nursing. It describes a way of caring for sick children and their families within the health service, consistently ensuring that care is planned for the whole family rather than just for the child. The present study aimed to explore the perception of nurses on FCC. METHODS: A qualitative explorative design was used to inquire into the perception of FCC among nurses from different pediatric units. Three focus group discussions were conducted among nurses to obtain detailed information on the topic. The transcribed verbatim was analyzed using conventional thematic analysis, and data management was performed using NVivo software (Lumivero, Denver, CO, USA). RESULTS: Data were analyzed using a systematic thematic analysis approach. Related codes were compared and clustered into subthemes. Themes were then developed by synthesizing related subthemes into higher-level interpretive constructs. Two major themes emerged from the nurses' verbatim accounts: "Grounds of Family-Centered Care (FCC)" and "FCC as a Comprehensive Process of Child Care." The theme Grounds of FCC comprised subthemes related to parental factors and child-related factors that influence the implementation of FCC. The second theme, FCC as a Comprehensive Process of Child Care, included the subthemes child-centred care, family-centred care, and nurse-centred care, reflecting the multidimensional nature of FCC in clinical practice. CONCLUSION: The study highlights that pediatric nurses perceive FCC as a fundamental and comprehensive approach to child health nursing. Nurses emphasized that FCC is grounded in parental and child-related factors and is integral to delivering holistic care. The findings further reveal that FCC is understood as a dynamic process encompassing child-centred, family-centred, and nurse-centred dimensions. Strengthening nurses' understanding and support of FCC principles may enhance collaborative care practices and improve outcomes for children and their families.