Towards Sustainable Healthcare for Children

Dear Colleagues,

Children have traditionally been left voiceless in the healthcare setting. Yet recent decades of research have revealed children’s specific needs in preventative and pediatric care as they live with long-term illness and disability in increasing numbers. Their experiences of their healthcare, as well as their longing for other children, an inclusive school system, and a meaningful everyday life, have been revealed. Children seek to be heard as individuals, not just defined by their medical conditions.

Power dynamics are shifting as children increasingly participate in decision making regarding their healthcare. The family-centered care approach of many years is being challenged by child-centered care, emphasizing the inclusion of children's perspectives. In today's post-pandemic world marked by conflict, terror, and climate crises, healthcare systems are rapidly evolving through AI and digitalization. Sustainable care for children in need of healthcare, in accordance with the goals of Agenda 2030 and of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, must be participatory, interdisciplinary, and driven by the input of children in need of services.

This Special Issue aims to bring together international expertise describing children’s experiences in healthcare and their striving for wellbeing, as told by children. Methods that access a child’s world even when they do not have a voice are welcome. Articles that focus on translating research results into clinical practice are particularly welcome, and we hope that health practitioners find the time to document their successes and lessons learned.

In recent years, a number of articles have been published that highlight areas that we hope the Special Issue will be able to address:

• BRAY, L., & Isupport, I. (2021). Getting It Right First Time and Every Time: Re-Thinking Children's Rights when They Have a Clinical Procedure. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 61, 10-12.
• Kleye, I., Sundler, A. J., Karlsson, K., Darcy, L., & Hedén, L. (2023). Positive effects of a child‐centered intervention on children's fear and pain during needle procedures. Paediatric and Neonatal Pain.
• Darcy, L., Enskär, K. & Björk, M. (2019). Young Children’s Experiences of Living an Everyday life with Cancer –A three year Interview Study. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 39, 1-9.
• Sahlberg, S., Karlsson, K & Darcy, L (2020). Children’s rights in Swedish healthcare. Health Expectations. DOI: 10.1111/hex.13060
• Sundler, A., Bergnehr, D., Haffejee, S., Iqbal, H., Orellana, M. et al. (2023). Adolescents’ and young people’s experiences of social relationships and health concerns during COVID-19. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 18:1, 2251236, https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2251236
•  Israelsson-Skogsberg, Å., Hedén, L., Lindahl, B. and Laakso, K., 2018. ‘I am almost never sick’: everyday life experiences of children and young people with home mechanical ventilation. Journal of Child Health Care, 22(1), pp.6-18.

Dr. Laura Darcy
Dr. Katarina Karlsson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• everyday life
• long-term illness
• painful procedures
• children’s rights
• child perspective
• child-centered care
• communication
• clinical practice
• children’s rights