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Parental Experiences of Infant Car Bed Use After Failure of Car Seat Tolerance Screen
Christina M O'Connor1, Jacqueline McGrath, Michele DeGrazia
1Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (Ms O'Connor and Dr DeGrazia); School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio (Dr McGrath); and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr DeGrazia).
Insights
Parents using car beds for infant travel face challenges with adjustment, decision-making, and provider support. Guidelines and education are needed to ease this stressful experience for families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Neonatal Care
- Transportation Safety
Background:
- Infant car seat tolerance screen (CSTS) failure often mandates car bed use for discharge travel.
- Limited guidance exists for parents navigating car bed transportation for infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and describe the lived experiences of parents using car beds for infant automobile transportation.
- To understand the parental journey and challenges associated with car bed use.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative descriptive study utilizing semistructured interviews.
- Purposive sampling of 15 parents post-hospital discharge and follow-up CSTS.
- Interviews focused on the holistic parental experience of car bed travel.
Main Results:
- Parents described an emotional journey encompassing adjustment, purchase decisions, and variable provider education.
- Key themes included safety concerns during transit and restrictions in space and mobility.
- Significant variation in provider knowledge and educational support was reported.
Conclusions:
- Current recommendations primarily focus on car seat travel, leaving a gap for car bed travel support.
- Developing supportive guidelines, comprehensive education, and policies for car bed travel is crucial.
- Further research is needed to identify optimal strategies for supporting parents and infants during car bed transportation.
Background:
Failure of the car seat tolerance screen (CSTS) during hospitalization often leads to a recommendation for automobile travel within a car bed at discharge.
Purpose:
To describe the parental experience utilizing a car bed for infant automobile transportation.
Methods:
A descriptive, qualitative study design was undertaken with a purposive sample of parents recruited for a single interview in the pulmonary clinic at the time of the follow-up CSTS, approximately 1 month after hospital discharge. Interviews, guided by a semistructured interview tool, provided a holistic understanding of the parental experience utilizing car bed travel.
Findings/Results:
Data from 15 parental interviews revealed an overarching emotional journey consisting of 5 themes: (1) an adjustment period; (2) decision-making related to the car bed purchase; (3) encounters with varied provider education and knowledge; (4) safety and security of the car bed during transit; and (5) space and mobility restrictions imposed by the car bed.
Implications For Practice:
While recommendations exist for infant travel in a car seat, supportive recommendations for parents with an infant who needs to travel in a car bed do not exist. Based on study findings, providing parents supportive guidelines, education, and recommendations for their infant requiring travel in a car bed may be a strategy to ease the stress experienced in this situation.
Implications For Research:
Findings indicated a need to develop policies and standards, as well as comprehensive education, for providers and parents related to car bed travel. Further research is needed to identify strategies to best support parents and infants.
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