Providing FCC means that the
clinician incorporates into caregiving the knowledge and
conviction that family is the constant in children's lives;
children are affected by and affect those with whom they
have relationships; and, by including families in care
processes, children will receive higher quality care. Formally
adopting FCC as the philosophy of care for pediatric nursing
serves to provide a framework for pediatric nurses to take on
the responsibility and the goal to care for infants and children
in ways that support and promote not only physical health
but also healthy emotional and psychological development
that occurs in the context of the family (Blake, 1954; Knafl,
Cavallari, & Dixon, 1988). The purposes of this article were
to examine the current state of pediatric nursing research
related to FCC and to propose directions for future study.
Other specialties within nursing, as well as other health care
disciplines, have adopted a family-centered approach to
providing care. Examination of possible similarities and
differences in the perspectives toward and approaches to