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Is there a place for parents in the retrieval of critically sick children?
1Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.
Insights
Parents are often excluded from emergency medical retrievals of critically ill children. This paper explores the potential for involving parents in their child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Nursing science
- Emergency medical services
Background:
- Emergency retrieval of critically ill children is increasingly common in pediatric intensive care.
- Parental involvement is a cornerstone of pediatric nursing care.
- Current practices often exclude parents from emergency transport of their children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the feasibility and implications of parental involvement during pediatric emergency retrievals.
- To advocate for a more inclusive approach to emergency care for critically ill children.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on parental presence during medical transport.
- Analysis of current retrieval protocols and their impact on families.
- Discussion of potential benefits and challenges of parent-inclusive retrieval models.
Main Results:
- Limited research exists on parental experiences during pediatric emergency retrievals.
- Exclusion of parents can cause distress and anxiety.
- Potential benefits of parental involvement include improved family-centered care and reduced child distress.
Conclusions:
- Involving parents in emergency retrievals may be beneficial for critically ill children and their families.
- Further research and protocol development are needed to facilitate parent-inclusive emergency transport.
- Rethinking current retrieval practices can enhance family-centered care in critical situations.
Abstract:
Retrieval of critically sick children is becoming commonplace within large paediatric intensive care centres and has gained much publicity. Only limited attention has been paid to the parents of children undergoing emergency transportation. Partnership with parents is central to paediatric nursing, yet parents are not generally welcome to travel with their child in an emergency. This paper argues that it may be possible for parents to be involved with the care of their child during retrieval.