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Perceived importance of needs expressed by parents of hospitalized two- to six-year-olds
Insights
Parents of hospitalized children aged 2-6 years identified key needs, prioritizing trust in healthcare providers and information. Fathers placed significantly less importance on being trusted by staff.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Parental Needs Assessment
- Hospital Psychology
Background:
- Hospitalization of young children (2-6 years) significantly impacts parents.
- Understanding parental needs is crucial for effective pediatric care.
- Previous research has not fully captured the nuanced needs of parents during a child's hospitalization in Iceland.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and prioritize the needs of parents whose children are hospitalized in a pediatric setting.
- To explore the correlation between perceived importance of needs, needs fulfillment, and help-seeking behavior.
- To investigate potential gender differences in perceived parental needs.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to 34 parents (12 fathers, 22 mothers) of hospitalized children aged 2-6 years.
- Utilized a Likert-type scale for 43 statements assessing the importance of parental needs.
- Reliability analysis confirmed instrument consistency (reliability coefficient > 0.91).
Main Results:
- All 43 needs statements were perceived as important, with 'trust in nurses and doctors' rated highest.
- Needs for information and consideration of other family members were rated as 'important' to 'very important'.
- Needs related to resources and support were rated lowest; fathers rated 'need to be trusted' significantly lower (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Parents perceive a wide range of needs during their child's hospitalization, with trust and information being paramount.
- Perceived need importance positively correlates with satisfaction and help-seeking, highlighting the value of addressing these needs.
- Healthcare providers should acknowledge and address parental needs, recognizing potential gender-specific differences, to improve the pediatric care experience.
Abstract:
The study describes the needs of 34 parents, 12 fathers and 22 mothers, of hospitalized 2-6 year-olds in a Pediatric Hospital in Iceland. Subjects responded to 43 statements of possible needs during a child's hospitalization on a Likert-type scale based on their perception of the importance of items. The reliability coefficient was over 0.91 for all three parts of the instrument. Parents' perception of importance was significantly and positively correlated with their perception of how their needs were being met and with their request for help from the hospital to fulfil them. None of the statements were perceived to be unimportant. Items related to parents' need to trust nurses and doctors were consistently rated as very important. Items related to the need for information and needs related to other family members were consistently rated as lying between important and very important. Needs related to human and physical resources, and the need for support and guidance were in general rated lowest. Items related to the need to be trusted had a mean importance significantly (p < 0.01) lower for fathers. Although not exhaustive, the statements presented were found to be representative of the needs and concerns of parents during the hospitalization of their children.