A guide to parents' participation in pediatric imaging

Family-centered care requires collaboration between the caregivers and the care-seekers at all levels of healthcare. Even the JCAHO Handbook outlines what families can expect from those providing care. Managers of pediatric imaging departments need to evaluate how far to incorporate these Joint Commission requirements into their own hospitals regulations. The house rules of the radiology department at Children's Hospital in Omaha, Neb., where this author is manager, are discussed. State radiation regulations, radiologists' preferences and staff experience in promoting patient cooperation must all be considered when a hospital is preparing to define its own regulations. The Children's Hospital radiology department surveyed 40 children's hospitals across the United States. Although 54% of the responding hospitals allow both parents to accompany a child into the examining room, Children's Hospital elected not to change its practice of allowing only one parent in the room. Although it may not fully meet the needs of parents and children, the hospital believes its practice meets the best interests of its patients.