Exploring hope-centred care in paediatric chronic illness: A qualitative study of nurses’ perspectives

Background Hope serves as a vital coping mechanism for children and adolescents with chronic illnesses and their families, and nurses play a fundamental role in recognising and nurturing this hope within clinical practice. Aim To explore nurses' development of hope-centred approaches in nursing care for children and adolescents with chronic illnesses and their families. Methods This qualitative study employed reflexive thematic analysis on data collected through snowball sampling. Thirteen nurses participated in the study. Data collection involved video-recorded semistructured interviews conducted via Google Meet®. Findings The analysis revealed that nurses recognise how hope manifests differently depending on a child's clinical condition. They described employing multiple strategies to cultivate hope, including maintaining therapeutic presence through active listening, using positive and empathetic communication, providing accurate information about the illness, reinforcing positive developments in treatment, facilitating spiritual support when appropriate, and helping families envision hopeful futures. Nurses also identified that the quality of the family–nurse relationship, institutional resources, and the healthcare team's approach influence hope cultivation. Discussion The study highlights how nurses serve as mediators between medical realities and the maintenance of hope, emphasising the need for care environments that support open communication and emotional expression. The identified themes may be used by nurses as a guiding framework to support the systematic integration of hope-centred care into paediatric nursing practice. Conclusion This study provides insights into the therapeutic use of hope in paediatric nursing practices, indicating that structured hope assessments and tailored interventions can enhance outcomes for children and adolescents with chronic illness and their families.