Family Experience With Hospital Care Teams: A Qualitative Investigation

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Family-centered care
• Qualitative research

Background:

• Existing research often uses quantitative methods or focuses narrowly on specific hospital aspects.
• A comprehensive understanding of families' cross-cutting hospital experiences is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore in-depth, cross-cutting issues experienced by families across diverse US hospital settings.
• To identify key themes in family hospital experiences beyond specific conditions or units.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews with 52 parents/guardians of hospitalized children.
• Participants recruited from a nationally representative online panel.
• Interviews covered experiences across various hospital types and medical conditions.

Main Results:

• Families emphasized the importance of consistent information, perceived clinical quality, and interactions with trainees.
• Identified significant gaps in care coordination and shared decision-making.
• Highlighted the critical role of parent advocacy during pediatric hospitalizations.

Conclusions:

• Parent narratives offer valuable insights for general hospital quality improvement.
• Hospitals should actively engage families in discussions about identified themes to enhance care.