title: The meaning of 'place' in families' lived experiences of paediatric outpatient care in different settings: a descriptive phenomenological study.
abstract: Health service reforms in the United Kingdom have sought to ensure that children and young people who are ill receive timely, high quality and effective care as close to home as possible. Using phenomenological methods, this study examined the experience and impact of introducing new, community-based paediatric outpatient clinics from the perspective of NHS service-users. Findings reveal that paediatric outpatient 'care closer to home' is experienced in ways that go beyond concerns about location and proximity. For families it means care that 'fits into their lives' spatially, temporally and emotionally; facilitating a sense of 'at-homeness' within the self and within the place, through the creation of a warm and welcoming environment, and by providing timely consultations which attend to aspects of the families' lifeworld.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Health, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Whittall Street, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK. Electronic address: Gemma.Heath@bch.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: s.m.greenfield@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Greenfield
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: s.redwood@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sabi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Redwood
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D003153:Community Health Services; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013222:State Medicine; D014195:Travel; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Paediatric; Patient experience; Phenomenology; Qualitative research; Space/place