Parental needs following the discharge of a hospitalized child

Many studies have addressed parents' needs when their child is hospitalized, yet few studies have identified the needs of parents after their child is discharged. An exploratory-descriptive study of families (N = 16) at a large acute care general hospital in Canada examined parents' needs following their child's discharge and parents' perceptions of the effectiveness of a discharge follow-up program. Parents described needs in two areas: (a) the need for detailed information about their child, and (b) the need for support regarding multiple stresses that their families were facing. Parents reported high levels of satisfaction with the discharge follow-up program, and all of the families recommended its continuance.