Guiding Frameworks

The following frameworks were used to guide the literature review and development of recommendations.

Social Determinants of Health.

• The social determinants of health have been defined as the circumstances, in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness.

Examples of social determinants that affect the health of Canadians include:

• income and social status
• social support networks
• education and literacy
• employment and working conditions
• social environments
• physical environments
• personal health practices and coping skills
• healthy child development
• biology and genetic endowment
• health services
• gender
• race and culture

Informed Decision Making

• The right of parents/caregivers and families to make informed decisions regarding the care of their children is respected within the context of the law.
• It is the responsibility of nurses to facilitate informed decision making by collaborating with families and providing evidence-based information.
• According to the Canadian Nurses Association, nurses have an ethical responsibility to recognize, respect and promote a person’s right to be informed and make decisions.

Anticipatory Guidance

• Anticipatory guidance consists of the information that clinicians give families about what they should expect in their child’s development, what they should do to promote this development, and the benefits of healthy lifestyles and practices.
• Anticipatory guidance may contribute to the prevention of unintentional injuries and, in turn, improve functional outcomes of children and their families.