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Published on: September 19, 2019
Factors Associated With Parent-Perceived Miscommunication in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Jesse R Wool1, Jesse Chittams2, Salimah Meghani3
1Jesse R. Wool is an assistant professor at Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Insights
Parental stress and low trust in physicians are linked to miscommunication in pediatric intensive care units. Addressing these factors can improve communication for families with hospitalized children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Communication
- Healthcare Professional-Patient Communication
- Family-Centered Care
Background:
- Communication experiences between parents and healthcare professionals in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) are highly variable.
- Factors influencing parents' perceptions of miscommunication within the PICU setting remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between children's clinical characteristics and parents' demographic/psychosocial factors with perceived miscommunication in the PICU.
- To identify key predictors of miscommunication from the parents' perspective.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with parents of children admitted to the PICU for over 24 hours between January 2018 and February 2020.
- Data collected included parent demographics, psychosocial factors (stress, trust), and perceptions of clinician communication.
Main Results:
- Among 200 parent respondents, 16.5% reported miscommunication. Key factors associated with miscommunication included higher parental stress (β = 0.286) and longer length of stay (β = 0.122).
- Conversely, positive views of clinician communication (β = -0.400) and higher trust in physicians (β = -0.147) were associated with lower perceived miscommunication.
- These factors explained 45% of the variance in parent-perceived miscommunication (R² = 0.448, P < .001).
Conclusions:
- Parental stress and trust in physicians are significant factors influencing perceived miscommunication in the PICU.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the causes and consequences of miscommunication to better support critically ill children and their families.
Background:
Parents of children in pediatric intensive care units have varied communication experiences with health care professionals. Little is known about factors associated with parents' perceptions of miscommunication.
Objective:
To examine children's clinical and parents' demographic and psychosocial factors associated with perceptions of miscommunication in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Methods:
This study was a cross-sectional survey of parents of children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit between January 1, 2018, and February 29, 2020, with a stay of greater than 24 hours.
Results:
Most of the 200 parent respondents were female (83.4%), White (71.4%), and non-Hispanic (87.9%); median age was 39 years (mean [SD], 40.2 [8.75] years); 17.6% were Black or African American. Among 210 children, mean (SD) age was 6.1 (6.02) years, mean (SD) stay was 4.5 (6.2) days, 38.6% were admitted because of respiratory illness, and the admission was the first for 51.0%. Of the parents, 16.5% reported miscommunication in the pediatric intensive care unit. In multivariable linear regressions, parents' stress (β = 0.286), parents' views of clinician communication (β = -0.400), parents' trust in physicians (β = -0.147), and length of stay (β = 0.122) accounted for 45% of the explained variance in parent-perceived miscommunication (R2 = 0.448, F = 41.19, P < .001).
Conclusions:
Parental stress and trust in physician scores were associated with perceived miscommunication. Further research is needed to understand the causes and consequences of miscommunication in order to support hospitalized children and their parents.
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