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Parents' Perspectives on "Keeping Their Children Safe" in the Hospital
Rebecca E Rosenberg1, Peri Rosenfeld, Emily Williams
1Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine (Dr Rosenberg and Ms Deng), NYU Langone Medical Center (Drs Rosenberg and Rosenfeld and Mss Williams and Geraghty), New York University College of Nursing (Dr Sullivan-Bolyai), and Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care, NYU Langone Medical Center (Mss Silber and Schlucter), New York.
Insights
Parents want to be involved in their hospitalized child's safety. Key themes include perceived risks, the hospital's protective role, varying participation levels, and balancing safety concerns with speaking up.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric patient safety
- Healthcare quality improvement
- Family-centered care
Background:
- Hospitalized children face unique safety and comfort risks.
- Parental involvement is crucial for effective child safety strategies.
- Understanding parental perspectives is key to enhancing patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parents' views on their role in ensuring their hospitalized child's safety.
- To identify factors influencing parental participation in child safety.
- To inform the development of family engagement programs.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative descriptive study.
- Semistructured interviews with parents of hospitalized children.
- Content analysis of interview data to identify key themes.
Main Results:
- Parents perceive risks to child safety and comfort.
- Parents view the hospital as a protector but expect to participate.
- Individual and organizational factors influence parental involvement.
- Parents navigate balancing safety advocacy with interpersonal "speaking up" risks.
Conclusions:
- Effective clinician-parent partnerships are essential for child safety.
- Staff education and family engagement programs should incorporate identified parental themes.
- Findings can guide the development of improved patient safety initiatives.
Abstract:
This study explored parents' perspectives regarding their involvement in safety for their hospitalized children. We employed qualitative description and semistructured interviews of parents of children in an urban tertiary hospital ward. Content analysis revealed 4 parent themes: risks to child safety and comfort, hospital role as a protector, participation in safety varies by individual and organizational factors, and balancing safety with "speaking up" interpersonal risks. We suggest key concepts to incorporate into staff education and family engagement/safety programs to develop effective partnerships between clinicians and parents.
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