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An educational booklet diminishes anxiety in parents whose children receive total parenteral nutrition
L Laine1, R J Shulman, K Bartholomew
1Office of Educational Resources, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston.
Insights
Providing parents with a booklet about total parenteral nutrition (TPN) significantly reduced their anxiety and improved their knowledge and satisfaction with their child's hospital care compared to verbal communication alone.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Patient Education
- Nutritional Support
Background:
- Parental anxiety is a significant concern for hospitalized children.
- Lack of information about hospital procedures, such as total parenteral nutrition (TPN), exacerbates parental anxiety.
- Effective patient education strategies are needed to improve the hospital experience for families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a TPN informational booklet on parental anxiety levels.
- To assess the effect of the booklet on parental knowledge and satisfaction regarding TPN.
- To compare the efficacy of written information versus verbal communication in managing parental anxiety.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental design was used with parents of children receiving TPN.
- Parents were divided into two groups: those who received a TPN informational booklet and those who did not.
- Anxiety, knowledge, and satisfaction were measured using validated scales and quizzes within one week of TPN initiation.
Main Results:
- Parents receiving the TPN booklet reported significantly lower acute situational anxiety compared to the no-booklet group.
- The booklet group demonstrated greater comfort in child care and increased knowledge about TPN.
- Written information proved more effective than verbal communication in reducing anxiety and enhancing satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- An informational booklet is an effective tool for diminishing parental anxiety associated with TPN.
- Providing written TPN information enhances parental knowledge and satisfaction with care.
- This approach can improve parent-hospital staff interactions and potentially reduce child anxiety.
Abstract:
A major cause of anxiety in parents of hospitalized children is insufficient information about hospital procedures. In an effort to determine the extent to which parental anxiety could be diminished and knowledge and satisfaction enhanced in regard to total parenteral nutrition (TPN), we developed a booklet that describes the mechanics of TPN administration and related procedures. When informal discussions were held between parents and members of the nutritional support team during four alternating periods (every five to six months), parents of first-time recipients of TPN either did not receive the booklet (period 1, n = 20; period 3, n = 30) or received it (period 2, n = 23; period 4, n = 27). Within one week of TPN initiation, parents in both groups completed the Spielberger State-Trait anxiety scale, an attitude questionnaire, and a quiz on TPN. No differences between groups were found in ethnic background, socioeconomic status, severity of illness, age of children, or route of TPN administration. Predisposition to anxiety was also similar between the groups. In contrast, acute situational anxiety was significantly greater in the group with no booklet than in the booklet group. Parents in the no-booklet group demonstrated less comfort in the care of their children and less knowledge about TPN than did the booklet group. Written information provided to parents decreased their anxiety and increased satisfaction with patient care more successfully than did verbal communication. Such a booklet may reduce parentally induced anxiety in the child and facilitate parent-hospital staff interactions.