Supporting parents while their child is receiving neurocritical care

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care medicine
• Neurocritical care
• Psychology and family studies

Background:

• Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) describes long-term negative health outcomes for patients and families after ICU stays.
• The PICS framework highlights the need to improve the ICU experience for parents of children in neurocritical care.
• Parental experiences and needs during pediatric neurocritical care are often overlooked, despite potential long-term consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply the PICS framework to understand the parental experience in pediatric neurocritical care.
• To identify parental needs and feelings during their child's neurocritical care.
• To propose actionable steps for medical teams to support these parents.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of parental experiences and needs in pediatric neurocritical care.
• Integration of parental feedback with existing PICS research.
• Development of recommendations for medical teams based on parental input and PICS literature.

Main Results:

• Parents articulated specific feelings and unmet needs during their child's neurocritical care.
• Key areas for parental support were identified through their direct accounts.
• Evidence-based strategies for immediate implementation by medical teams were derived.

Conclusions:

• Modifying the ICU experience for parents is crucial, informed by the PICS concept.
• Direct parental input is vital for developing effective support strategies.
• Implementing specific, immediate actions can significantly improve the parental experience in pediatric neurocritical care.