A pilot study to evaluate in-hospital care by mothers

Believing that family-centered care is beneficial to children with cancer, the staff at Southampton General Hospital in the United Kingdom decided to consider instituting care by parents. Before full implementation of care by parents, a pilot study involving teaching five mothers of pediatric oncology patients how to administer intravenous (i.v.) antibiotics to their child was performed. The basis for selecting antibiotic administration was that if the mothers were capable of performing such a complex task, they would likely be able to be involved in the total care of their child. Mothers' views on the teaching program were sought using taped interviews, and the data were analyzed using a line-by-line constant-comparison analysis. All mothers in the study were capable of performing the procedure and all were willing to do so. Mothers emphasized the fact that they often feel stressed and out of control because of the impact of disease and treatment, and many important issues were raised in relation to this. Nurses' attitudes towards care by parents requires clarifying and changes need to take place if this concept is to progress. Negotiation to allow mutual understanding between parents and nurses is essential to the successful implementation of such a care approach.