Mothers' perspectives of an in-home nursing respite service: coping and control

What are mothers' experiences of receiving in-home nursing respite care for their children with medically fragile or complex conditions? This paper highlights selected findings from a comprehensive 2-year study designed to evaluate the impact of a Canadian nursing respite program. Data were collected at 3 time points in the homes of 27 families, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. This paper reports on 1 construct arising from unstructured interview and observational data: learning to manage the system. A specific subset of 10 mothers was chosen for constant comparative analysis of their perspectives of receiving in-home nursing respite, revealing a 4-phase process: taking in, losing control, taking charge, and managing effectively within the constraints of inflexible rules. These findings contribute to nursing knowledge about meeting the in-home respite needs of mothers of children with complex medical conditions. Implications for nursing include how to better support maternal coping, decrease uncertainty, and foster more effective relationships with mothers of children with complex conditions.