Unaccompanied hospitalized children: nurses' search for understanding

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Healthcare Psychology
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Hospitalized children without parental presence present unique care challenges.
• Understanding nurses' emotional and cognitive experiences is crucial for optimizing care.
• Previous research has not fully explored nurses' perspectives in this specific context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the lived experiences and feelings of pediatric nurses caring for hospitalized children unaccompanied by parents.
• To understand the emotional and cognitive constructs nurses employ in such situations.
• To identify factors influencing nurses' perceptions and judgments of parents.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological study utilizing in-depth interviews with 12 pediatric nurses.
• Verbatim interview transcriptions were reviewed with participants for accuracy.
• Qualitative analysis of transcribed data to identify themes and patterns.

Main Results:

• Nurses' perceptions were shaped by their personal life experiences and the four dimensions: space, mind/body, time, and relationships.
• Nurses used cognitive and emotional strategies to process the situation, sometimes leading to negative judgments of parents.
• Nurses perceived parental absence as a sign of trust when care was delegated to them.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric nurses engage in substantial emotional labor while maintaining compassion for unaccompanied patients.
• Self-awareness of nurses' own life-worlds is essential for understanding parental limitations.
• Awareness of potential judgmental attitudes is critical for fostering therapeutic relationships with parents and children.