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Parents' experiences of ambulatory care
1Sheffield Hallam University.
Insights
Parents
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Qualitative Research
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Recent advancements in pediatric daycare and ambulatory care necessitate understanding parental experiences.
- Existing literature predominantly focuses on surgical day care, leaving a gap in understanding broader ambulatory care experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and understand parents' experiences with pediatric ambulatory care services.
- To provide a parent-centered perspective on non-surgical day care and its impact.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with eleven parents.
- Grounded theory framework used for data analysis to generate parent-led explanations.
- Interviews conducted at parents' homes post-discharge.
Main Results:
- Parental experiences of childhood illness extend beyond hospitalization, requiring continuous professional support.
- Feeling socially supported and receiving adequate information positively influenced parents' experiences.
- Parents who felt cared for and informed reported better coping mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Comprehensive parental support, encompassing social and informational aspects, is crucial for positive pediatric ambulatory care experiences.
- Addressing parents' holistic needs enhances their coping abilities and overall satisfaction with care.
- Future research should focus on the psychosocial support needs of parents utilizing pediatric ambulatory services.
Abstract:
In view of the recent rapid developments in paediatric daycare provision and ambulatory care a qualitative study was undertaken to ascertain parents' experiences of this service. A high proportion of the research literature addresses issues in surgical day care only. This study was undertaken to redress the balance. Eleven parents who accessed local ambulatory care services were selected then interviewed at home following discharge. The interviews were analysed using a framework based on grounded theory in order to generate explanations from a parent's perspective. It transpired that parents' experiences of their children's illness extended the bounds of the hospitalised period and professional support was important throughout. Parents who felt cared for in the social sense and received adequate information, appeared to report the more positive experiences and coped better.