Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Needs of parents of the child hospitalised with acquired brain damage
1Nursing Research Centre, Mater Misericordiae Hospitals, South Brisbane, Qld., Australia.
Insights
Parents of children with Acquired Brain Damage need services supporting child recovery, parental coping, and family stability during hospitalization. Meeting these needs helps families manage sudden illness and disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Neurology
- Family Medicine
Background:
- Hospitalization for Acquired Brain Damage (ABD) presents unique challenges for children and their families.
- Understanding parental needs is crucial for effective healthcare delivery and family support during pediatric critical care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and identify the needs of parents whose children are hospitalized with Acquired Brain Damage.
- To understand how meeting these needs impacts parental coping and family functioning.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study involving interviews with 34 parents of 28 children treated at a tertiary referral pediatric hospital.
- Qualitative analysis of parental experiences and identified needs during child hospitalization.
Main Results:
- Three key themes emerged regarding parental needs: services optimizing child recovery, services supporting parental coping with the child's illness, and services assisting in maintaining family functioning and stability.
- Parents identified specific needs that, when met, facilitated their ability to care for their children and cope with the situation.
Conclusions:
- A model of parental needs and corresponding nursing interventions is proposed.
- Addressing identified parental needs is essential for holistic care of children with Acquired Brain Damage and their families.
Abstract:
This paper describes the findings of a descriptive study into needs of parents of children with Acquired Brain Damage during hospitalisation. Thirty four parents of 28 children treated at a tertiary referral pediatric hospital were interviewed. Parents described their experiences during their child's hospitalisation and identified needs which, when met, enabled them to care for their children and cope with the sudden illness and disabilities. Three themes were identified: services that optimised the child's recovery, services which supported parents cope with child's illness and services assisting in maintenance of family functioning and stability. An emerging model of parental needs and nursing interventions to meet these are identified.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
01:19Restorative Care
01:22Aneurysm IV: Nursing Management
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-I
Daycare centers
They provide several functions. Some facilities care for healthy newborns and children whose parents work, while others are medically focused and care for...