A study of parental involvement in pediatric hospital care: implications for clinical practice.
BACKGROUND
Although it has become common practice for parents to stay with their sick child in hospital, most hospitals lack routines and staff guidelines for involving parents in care processes and decisions.


OBJECTIVE
To gain a deeper understanding of factors that influence parental involvement and to clarify the parental role in the hospital care of chronically ill children.


METHODS
Semistructured interviews with 14 parents of chronically ill children.


RESULTS
Four themes were identified: support, professionalism, work environment, and responsibility. These themes describe the experience and perceptions of parents who regularly spend time in the hospital with their children.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical practices regarding parental involvement need to be established to optimize the hospital care of chronically ill children.
Ygge
Britt Marie
BM
Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, and Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. britt-marie.ygge@ks.se
Arnetz
Judith E
JE
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors