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Protecting, providing, and participating: fathers' roles during their child's unplanned hospital stay, an

Sue Higham1, Ruth Davies

  • 1Faculty of Health and Social Care, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. s.higham@open.ac.uk

Journal of Advanced Nursing
|August 23, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Fathers actively participate in caring for their hospitalized children, fulfilling roles in protection, provision, and direct care. Healthcare professionals should recognize fathers

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nursing
  • Family-Centered Care
  • Qualitative Research

Background:

  • Family-centered care is a cornerstone of high-quality pediatric nursing.
  • Existing research predominantly focuses on mothers' roles, leaving fathers' contributions under-explored.
  • Understanding fathers' experiences is crucial for comprehensive family support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore fathers' experiences during their child's unplanned hospital admission.
  • To identify the specific roles fathers assume in caring for their acutely ill child.
  • To inform healthcare practices to better support fathers in pediatric care settings.

Main Methods:

  • A qualitative field study employing ethnographic observation (150 hours).
  • Interviews conducted with 12 fathers and 7 children's nurses.
  • Data collected over a 15-month period (August 2009 - December 2010).

Main Results:

  • Fathers expressed a strong desire to be present with their hospitalized child.
  • Fathers made significant contributions to the overall family experience.
  • Key paternal roles identified: protecting the child, providing for the family, and participating in care.

Conclusions:

  • Fathers are as motivated as mothers to care for their sick children in hospital.
  • Fathers encounter unique challenges, often balancing hospital care with work and care for well siblings.
  • Healthcare professionals must acknowledge and accommodate fathers' significant caregiving roles and responsibilities.
Abstract

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