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Parental participation in the care of hospitalized children
Insights
Parents actively participate in their hospitalized children's care, managing basic needs. Both parents and staff believe increased parental involvement in nursing tasks is possible with proper instruction and support.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nursing
- Child Psychology
- Hospital Care
Background:
- Parents frequently stay with hospitalized children.
- Parents assume responsibility for basic care and needs during hospitalization.
- Understanding parental roles in pediatric care is crucial for effective support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parental roles in the care of hospitalized children.
- To identify nursing tasks parents feel capable of managing.
- To compare parental and staff opinions on parental involvement in care.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire-based study was conducted.
- Parents of hospitalized children (n=40) and healthcare staff (n=44) participated.
- Data was collected over a 6-week period in a pediatric surgical department.
Main Results:
- Parents consistently stay with their children and manage basic care.
- Both parents and staff perceive potential for increased parental contribution to care.
- Disagreement exists between parents and staff regarding the specific nursing tasks suitable for parental involvement.
Conclusions:
- Parental presence and engagement in basic care are significant during pediatric hospitalization.
- Instruction and support can enhance parental participation in care activities.
- Further research is needed to align parental and staff expectations on appropriate nursing tasks for parents.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate those parts of the care of hospitalized children that their parents perform, the nursing tasks the parents themselves felt they could manage and whether parents' and staff members' opinions coincided. A questionnaire was given to parents of children between one week and five years of age who were hospitalized at a pediatric surgical department during a 6-week period (n = 40), a similar questionnaire being distributed to all the staff (n = 44). The results indicate that parents stay with their children during hospitalization and that they take responsibility for their children's basic care and needs. Parents and staff members believed that parents might be able to take on a greater share of caring activities if they were given instruction and support, though there was disagreement as to which nursing tasks are appropriate for parents to take on.