Parental presence during pediatric retrieval: the caregiver's perspective

The presence of family at the bedside of critically ill children is recommended, as part of "family-centered care." The study aimed to understand if such recommendation was applied by our neonatal and pediatric retrieval team and the second aim was their perception of parental presence. We first conducted a 6-month monocentric prospective observational study where the transport teams had to rate parental presence after each retrieval. A second survey was filled out by all team members, to explore their perception of parental presence in a general manner, without referring to a specific transport. Three hundred seventeen questionnaires from the prospective survey were returned, with parents being present in the ambulance for 47% of retrievals. There was a significant difference in parental accompaniment between newborns (< 24 h) and older children. The parental presence was rated as neutral or positive for 99% of transportation, whereas approximately ¼ of the crew feared "a priori" parental presence during transport in the second survey.Conclusion: This study suggests at least one parent was present at almost half of the retrievals conducted in our sample during the study period. Very few negative experiences were reported in the prospective study by the caregivers who allowed parental presence. What is Known: •The concept of family-centered care is an approach that recognizes the importance of family engagement and involvement and encourages collaboration between families and healthcare professionals. •Parents wish to accompany their child. What is New: •The perception of parental presence, by transport team members, was neutral or positive in 99% of retrievals during the study. •Newborns' parents were less present during retrieval than older children's parents.