Acute psychosocial care of families in paediatric resuscitation settings: Variables associated with parent emotional response

Parental supporter in pediatric resuscitation: A mixed-method study with Delphi and analytic hierarchy process

INTRODUCTION

Providing support to parents is an evidence-based practice and a crucial part of family-centered nursing care. However, it is not clear who and how to provide the best support to parents during and after their child's resuscitation attempts.

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to explore the characteristics and roles of parental supporters responsible for caring for parents during and after their child's resuscitation.

METHODS

This is a mixed-method study combining the Delphi technique and the Analytic Hierarchy Process. A list of potentially important items describing the characteristics and roles of parental supporters caring for parents during and after pediatric resuscitation was developed through qualitative interviews with parents and members of the resuscitation team, and a thorough literature search. Then, the Delphi round was conducted with key experts. In the final step, the Analytic Hierarchy Process was used for ranking items in the order of their importance.

RESULTS

A list with 69 items describing the characteristics and roles of parental supporters was developed. 15 items (21.74%) were related to the "Characteristics of parental supporter" category; 8 items (11.59%) were related to the "Roles of a parental supporter during resuscitation" category; 13 items (18.84%) were related to the "Roles of a parental supporter after successful resuscitation" category; 23 items (33.34%) were related to the "Roles of a parental supporter after unsuccessful resuscitation" category; and 10 items (14.49%) were related to the "Roles of a parental supporter after unsuccessful resuscitation with help of other staff of the hospital" category.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study can be used to develop guidelines that include parental supporter characteristics and roles to support parents during and after their child's resuscitation according to family-centered care practices in pediatric settings.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Study findings indicate the need for the presence of a parental supporter during and after pediatric resuscitation, whether witnessed by the parents or not. Knowledge regarding the characteristics and roles of parental supporters can be used in practice to uphold family-centered nursing care during critical situations.

Parental supporter during pediatric resuscitation: Qualitative exploration of caregivers' and healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions

BACKGROUND

Child resuscitation is a critical and stressful time for family caregivers and healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore caregivers' and healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions of a parental supporter during pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation to provide guidance to healthcare professionals on supporting parents and other family caregivers during resuscitation.

METHODS

This study used an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach. The setting was two large referral pediatric governmental hospitals. Participants were 17 caregivers who had experienced their child's resuscitation, and 13 healthcare professionals who served on resuscitation teams in emergency rooms or intensive care wards. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. COREQ guidelines were followed.

RESULTS

Participants shared their experiences and perceptions of a parental supporter during pediatric resuscitation in three themes: 1) Requirement for the presence of a parental supporter, 2) Expectations of the parental supporter, and 3) Characteristics of the parental supporter.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings highlight the need for a parental supporter during pediatric resuscitation; however, there is no defined parental supporter role in current guiding policies due to limited research on this role. More research on the parental supporter role is needed so effective policies and protocols can be developed to enhance family-centered care practices in pediatric emergency and acute care settings.

N. S, Clerc P, Carciumaru R, Alqurashi W, Rajagopal M, Kammerer E, Leung J, Wright B, Scott SD. Family caregivers' emotional and communication needs in Canadian pediatric emergency departments

OBJECTIVES

To describe the extent to which caregivers' emotional and communication needs were met during pediatric emergency department (PED) visits. Secondary objectives included describing the association of caregiver emotional needs, satisfaction with care, and comfort in caring for their child's illness at the time of discharge with demographic characteristics, caregiver experiences, and ED visit details.

STUDY DESIGN

Electronic surveys with medical record review were deployed at ten Canadian PEDs from October 2018 -March 2020. A convenience sample of families with children <18 years presenting to a PED were enrolled, for one week every three months, for one year per site. Caregivers completed one in-PED survey and a follow-up survey, up to seven days post-visit.

RESULTS

This study recruited 2005 caregivers who self-identified as mothers (74.3%, 1462/1969); mean age was 37.8 years (SD 7.7). 71.7% (1081/1507) of caregivers felt their emotional needs were met. 86.4% (1293/1496) identified communication with the doctor as good/very good and 83.4% (1249/1498) with their child's nurse. Caregiver involvement in their child's care was reported as good/very good 85.6% (1271/1485) of the time. 81.8% (1074/1313) of caregivers felt comfortable in caring for their child at home at the time of discharge. Lower caregiver anxiety scores, caregiver involvement in their child's care, satisfactory updates, and having questions adequately addressed positively impacted caregiver emotional needs and increased caregiver comfort in caring for their child's illness at home.

CONCLUSION

Approximately 30% of caregivers presenting to PEDs have unmet emotional needs, over 15% had unmet communication needs, and 15% felt inadequately involved in their child's care. Family caregiver involvement in care and good communication from PED staff are key elements in improving overall patient experience and satisfaction.