Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics have collaborated with clinicians from Bathurst Base Hospital, surrounding health services and academics from Monash University to produce a child and family health nursing textbook for Australia and New Zealand.

 

Lecturer Ms Christine Haley, from CSU's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health in Bathurst, was selected to edit Child and Family Health Nursing in Australia and New Zealand by publishers Wolters Kluwer Health.

 

The textbook takes an evidence-based approach to child growth and development with a nursing and midwifery focus, establishing the core skills necessary to recognise illness in children before moving onto clinical areas such as management of childhood diseases.

 

Of particular interest from an Australian and New Zealand perspective are the region specific references to statistics, drug names, legislation, culture, community and public health systems.

 

The book features information on Aboriginal and Mäori communities and management of child illness in rural and remote communities, as well as the role of nurses and midwives in these communities.

 

"Until now we have only ever had US text books to work with," Ms Haley said.

 

"I had been asking for an Australian text book in this area for years, and the publishers asked me to submit ideas.

 

"Once the decision to go ahead was made we only had 10 months to edit and revise the 56-chapter American textbook this is based on."

 

Ms Haley tapped the network of clinicians and academics she had established during her 20 years at CSU and said the collaborative approach had been very rewarding.

 

"This was a perfect opportunity for the University to strengthen its ties with local clinicians, and they responded enthusiastically," she said.

 

"We had seven clinicians from Bathurst Base Hospital, others from local health services and academics from Monash University all editing and revising chapters of the textbook.

 

"Another of our Nursing lecturers, Ms Amanda Stott, was the sub-editor and we had about 25 contributors in all."