title: Parents' experience of the transition with their child from a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) to the hospital ward: searching for comfort across transitions.
abstract: Parents of children in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) have many needs and stressors, but research has yet to examine their experience of their child's transfer from PICU to the hospital ward. Ten parents were interviewed following transfer from PICU to a hospital ward at a children's hospital in Canada. Parents' experience involved a search for comfort through transitions. The themes were: 'being a parent with a critically ill child is exhausting', 'being kept in the know', 'feeling supported by others', and 'being transferred'. Findings from this study can help nurses and health professionals working with parents during transitions.
authors.affiliation: MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Electronic address: kristyn.berube@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kristyn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Berube
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fothergill-Bourbonnais
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moreau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010360:Patient Transfer
keywords: Comfort; Family; Family-centered care; Parents; Pediatric intensive care unit; Phenomenology; Transition experience; Transitions