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The Impact of Observed Trauma on Parents in a PICU
Susan Khanna1, Julie K Finlay, Vishal Jatana
11Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 2Charles Sturt University, NSW, Australia.
Objective:
To explore parents' experiences of "observed trauma," defined as traumatic events, unrelated to their own child, that parents/carers witness while in a PICU.
Design:
Exploratory qualitative study.
Setting:
Nineteen-bed mixed surgical/medical PICU in a tertiary university-affiliated children's hospital.
Participants:
Parents of 11 children, screened from a total sample of 100 children admitted to the PICU for greater than 48 hours.
Interventions:
Face-to-face screening interviews were conducted with parents following their child's discharge from PICU. Parents who reported observed trauma were interviewed a second time to explore their experiences.
Measurements And Main Results:
Two questionnaires were designed, one to screen for observed trauma and a second one to guide semistructured interviews. Of 100 parents who participated in a structured screening interview, 19% reported observed trauma. Of the 19 parents, 11 completed the second interview. Significant themes included: involuntary exposure; privacy and confidentiality; empathy for children and their families; reflection and personal growth; and staff communication.
Conclusions:
Observed trauma is not uncommon in the PICU. The results suggest that timely support may alleviate the short-term negative impact. Furthermore, some parents have reported positive aspects to their experience.
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