A study of parental involvement in pediatric hospital care: implications for clinical practice

Britt Marie Ygge1, Judith E Arnetz

  • 1Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, and Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. britt-marie.ygge@ks.se

Insights

Parents

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nursing
  • Family-Centered Care

Background:

  • Parental presence during hospitalization is common but often lacks structured support.
  • Hospitals frequently lack clear guidelines for involving parents in care decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore factors influencing parental involvement in hospital care.
  • To define the role of parents in caring for chronically ill children.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted semistructured interviews with 14 parents.
  • Focused on parents of chronically ill children with frequent hospital stays.

Main Results:

  • Identified four key themes: support, professionalism, work environment, and responsibility.
  • These themes reflect parents' experiences and perceptions of hospital care.

Conclusions:

  • Clinical practices for parental involvement require development.
  • Optimizing hospital care for chronically ill children necessitates established protocols for parent engagement.
Abstract

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