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Parental perceptions of transition from intensive care following a child's cardiac surgery
Katrina A Obas1, Jessica M Leal2, Michele Zegray2
1Department of Nursing, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.
Insights
Parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) experience stress during the transition from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to the surgical ward. Nurses play a key role in supporting parents through this challenging and uncertain transfer process.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric intensive care nursing
- Congenital heart disease care
- Parental adaptation to critical illness
Background:
- Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) require intensive care post-surgery.
- The transition from pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to surgical ward is stressful for parents.
- Parental stress is linked to the child's illness and the care environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parents' perceptions of the transition from PICU to surgical ward.
- To understand parental experiences following pediatric cardiac surgery.
- To identify factors influencing parental adjustment during hospital transfer.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative descriptive study utilizing semi-structured interviews.
- Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews from nine parent participants.
- Exploration of parental perceptions of the transfer experience.
Main Results:
- Parents experienced mixed emotions, including happiness and uncertainty, about the transfer.
- Parental uncertainty highlighted the crucial role of nurses in preparing for transfer.
- Parents faced new care expectations and environmental challenges upon ward transfer.
Conclusions:
- Parental emotional responses align with existing literature, with some unique findings.
- The timing of transfer was identified as a significant source of parental stress.
- Effective nursing interventions can support parents during this critical transition.
Background:
Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) who undergo cardiac surgery are hospitalized in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) prior to being transferred to a surgical ward. This is a challenging transition for parents of children with CHD who experience high levels of stress related to their child's illness.
Aim:
To explore parents' perceptions of the transition from the PICU to the surgical ward following their child's cardiac surgery.
Study Design:
A qualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews was used to explore parents' perceptions of the transfer experience.
Methods:
All parents of children with CHD who met inclusion criteria were approached to participate. Parents were recruited until data saturation was achieved (n = 9). Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed concurrently with data collection.
Results:
Parents described having mixed feelings of happiness and uncertainty upon learning that their child would be transferred to the surgical ward (theme 1). Parents' uncertainty prompted a need to rally for the upcoming transfer, a process in which the nurse was perceived to play an important role (theme 2). Once transferred to the surgical ward, parents described having to come to terms with a new care experience in which they encountered new role expectations and a challenging new environment (theme 3).
Conclusion:
Emotional reactions to transfer were generally consistent with the literature, although parents in our study did not describe feelings of isolation related to transition as reported elsewhere. We also identified the timing of transfer as a potential source of stress for parents. Parents identified key nursing interventions that helped them to prepare for transfer and come to terms with challenges in their new environment.
Relevance To Practice:
A deeper understanding of parents' transfer experience will facilitate the development of effective nursing interventions to support parents at this time.
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