Nurses' experiences of the hospitalisation of their own children for acute illnesses.
BACKGROUND
The hospitalisation of a child is a stressful event for parents. Parents who are also nurses may face additional challenges not encountered by other parents; yet, scant attention has been given to this issue in the literature.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the experiences of Nurse-Parents whose children were hospitalised for acute illnesses.


METHODS
Using a case-study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six registered nurses and thematically analysed.


RESULTS
Nurse-Parents experienced significant conflicts between their parental role and nurse persona as they were 'torn between dual roles'. Nurse-Parents' specialised knowledge prompted them to elevate the care their child needed, leading to increased stress and anxiety as they struggled to balance these roles.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurse-Parents want and need a different type of input into their children's care than non-nurse-parents. An increased awareness among healthcare professionals is the first step to ensuring that effective and individualised support is provided to Nurse-Parents.
a School of Nursing & Midwifery , Flinders University , GPO Box 2100, Adelaide , SA , 5001 , Australia.
Lauren E
LE
Lines
a School of Nursing & Midwifery , Flinders University , GPO Box 2100, Adelaide , SA , 5001 , Australia.
Trudi
T
Mannix
a School of Nursing & Midwifery , Flinders University , GPO Box 2100, Adelaide , SA , 5001 , Australia.
Tracey M
TM
Giles
D000208:Acute Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D013021:South Australia; D013315:Stress, Psychological
Nurse-Family Member; Nurse-Parent; case study; dual role; nursing; paediatrics; parent experience; qualitative research