OBJECTIVE: To identity pediatric nursing publications regarding children with congenital defects. METHODS: This study was a literature review of articles published in the main health care databases from 1995 to 2005. RESULTS: The retrieved publications were organized into five themes: 1) exposition to risk factors for congenital defects, 2) use of technology to provide care to children with congenital defects, 3) evaluation of the delivery of care to children with congenital defects and their family, 4) nurse's competence to provide quality care to children with congenital defects, and 5) reports of lived experiences of professional nurses who provide care to children with congenital defects, and lived experience of children with congenital defects and their family. CONCLUSION: Nurses who provide care to children with congenital defects base their practice on strong theoretical and practical foundations; and, evidence based nursing interventions to provide the most efficacious care to children with congenital defects and their family continues to evolve.
Bibliometrics; Congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases; abnormalities; Pediatric nursing; Scientific and technical publications