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Waiting for an operation: parents' perspectives
1Department of Surgery, University of Saskatchewan, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, Sask. miller@duke.usask.ca
Insights
Parents find long waits for pediatric surgery stressful, believing operations are more urgent than classified. They deem waiting over three months unacceptable, highlighting the need for improved wait-list management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Healthcare Management
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Long waiting times for pediatric surgery can cause significant stress for children and families.
- Understanding parental perceptions of waiting periods is crucial for effective healthcare delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess parental attitudes towards and acceptance of waiting times for their child's non-urgent operation.
- To evaluate parental perceptions of urgency and acceptable waiting durations for pediatric surgery.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive survey was conducted using a cross-sectional method at a university teaching hospital.
- Data were collected from parents of children under 20 awaiting non-urgent pediatric general surgery operations.
- Key outcome measures included parental concerns, perceived impact on the child and family, urgency assessment, and desired maximum waiting periods.
Main Results:
- 61% of children waited over 6 months, and 30% over 12 months for non-urgent pediatric surgery.
- 94% of surveyed families found the wait emotionally stressful, with 81.5% anticipating improved quality of life post-surgery.
- 83% of parents considered waiting over 3 months unacceptable, and 98% found waiting over 6 months unacceptable.
Conclusions:
- Parents perceive the need for pediatric surgery as more urgent than the 'elective' classification suggests.
- Parents believe waiting periods for pediatric surgery should not exceed 3 months.
- Long waiting times are stressful for families, and parental perceptions are vital for optimizing wait-list management strategies.
Objective:
To determine parents' attitudes toward and acceptance of waiting times for their child's operation.
Design:
Waiting times were measured by a cross-sectional method. A descriptive survey was conducted of families with a child waiting for a non-urgent operation.
Setting:
A university teaching hospital.
Subjects:
Parents of children (age < 20 yr) waiting for non-urgent pediatric general-surgery operations.
Main Outcome Measures:
Parents' concerns and attitudes about waiting for their child's operation, how it was affecting the child and family, how urgent they felt the need for surgery was, and what they thought was a reasonable maximum waiting period.
Results:
Of 89 patients waiting for non-urgent pediatric general-surgery operations at the time of the survey, 61% had been waiting > 6 months and 30% > 12 months. Of the 57 families (64%) who returned completed surveys, 94% reported the wait to be emotionally stressful for the family; 81.5% expected their child's quality of life would improve after the operation. As for length of wait, 83% felt that > 3 months was unacceptable, and 98% > 6 months.
Conclusions:
Parents of children waiting for pediatric general surgery operations thought that the need for the operation was significantly more urgent then their classification of elective. They felt that waiting periods should not exceed 3 months. Long waiting periods are stressful for both family and child. Parental perceptions are important when considering strategies for wait-list management.
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