Tuning in to provide tailored and adjustable health promotion support in children´s best interest – An interview study with child healthcare nurses

Child healthcare (CHC) nurses play a crucial role in supporting children and families from early life. This study describes CHC nurses’ experiences of health promotion in Child health service (CHS), focussing on how they develop and apply their competence. Fourteen nurses from five CHC centres were interviewed, and the data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. One overarching theme emerged: tuning in and adapting support for the family in the child’s best interests – supported by three categories: finding opportunities to promote health, growing in one’s work, and organisational support. The findings emphasise CHC nurses recognising their own competence and using learning processes, such as work-integrated learning, to achieve healthier outcomes for children. Continuous professional learning also enables nurses to cope with the challenges of an evolving healthcare environment.