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Parents' experiences and perceptions of the acceptability of a whole-hospital, pro-active electronic pediatric early
Holly Saron1, Bernie Carter1, Sarah Siner2
1Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom.
Insights
Parents found the DETECT electronic surveillance system acceptable for monitoring children's vital signs. Trust in themselves, healthcare professionals, and technology were key factors influencing their positive perceptions of this pediatric early warning system.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare safety
- Clinical surveillance systems
- Patient and family-centered care
Background:
- Timely recognition of clinical deterioration in hospitalized children is a critical safety concern.
- Pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) aim to identify and escalate care for deteriorating children.
- Parental concern is a vital component in assessing a child's condition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parental experiences and perceptions of the DETECT electronic surveillance system.
- To assess the acceptability of the DETECT system among parents.
- To identify factors influencing parental awareness and concern regarding clinical deterioration.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, qualitative study using semi-structured telephone interviews.
- 19 parents of children with critical deterioration events (CDEs) and 17 non-CDE parents participated.
- Data were collected between February 2020 and February 2021.
Main Results:
- Trust was an overarching theme, encompassing trust in self, healthcare professionals, and technology.
- Parents reported positive experiences and perceptions regarding the DETECT system's acceptability.
- Parents welcomed the use of technology to enhance their child's care.
Conclusions:
- The DETECT electronic pediatric early warning system was found to be acceptable by parents.
- Parents' positive reception was linked to trust in the system and its integration into care.
- The study highlights the importance of technology and trust in improving pediatric patient safety.
Background:
Failure to recognize and respond to clinical deterioration in a timely and effective manner is an urgent safety concern, driving the need for early identification systems to be embedded in the care of children in hospital. Pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) or PEW scores alert health professionals (HPs) to signs of deterioration, trigger a review and escalate care as needed. PEW scoring allows HPs to record a child's vital signs and other key data including parent concern.
Aim:
This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of parents about the acceptability of a newly implemented electronic surveillance system (the DETECT surveillance system), and factors that influenced acceptability and their awareness around signs of clinical deterioration and raising concern.
Methods:
Descriptive, qualitative semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken with parents of children who had experienced a critical deterioration event (CDE) (n = 19) and parents of those who had not experienced a CDE (non-CDE parents) (n = 17). Data were collected between February 2020 and February 2021.
Results:
Qualitative data were analyzed using generic thematic analysis. Analysis revealed an overarching theme of trust as a key factor that underpinned all aspects of children's vital signs being recorded and monitored. The main themes reflect three domains of parents' trust: trust in themselves, trust in the HPs, and trust in the technology.
Conclusion:
Parents' experiences and perceptions of the acceptability of a whole-hospital, pro-active electronic pediatric early warning system (The DETECT system) were positive; they found it acceptable and welcomed the use of new technology to support the care of their child.
