Communication in pediatric critical care: A proposal for an evidence-informed framework

Experiences of the Parents of Children Admitted to PICU

Introduction

A pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a highly technological and fast-paced setting in a hospital.

Objective

To explore the experiences of the parents in the critical care area of a selected tertiary care facility.

Materials and methods

In a qualitative study, we interviewed 10 purposively selected parents of the children admitted to PICU using a pre-validated in-depth interview schedule. All parents, whose children were admitted to PICU for more than 5 days, who understood Hindi or English and were willing to participate in the study, were enrolled in the study. Parents of critically ill children having readmission to PICU or prolonged stay of more than 15 days and not accompanied by parents were excluded.

Results

Parents had unmet needs, such as the need for information, counseling and education from the healthcare team (HCT) members, having trusting relationship with the HCT, and expecting receiving orientation of the routines and the protocols of PICU, and empathy from the various levels of PICU team. The majority of subjects expressed the desire to talk to a dedicated person for their queries. The parents had multiple feelings of distress, hopelessness, helplessness, guilt, and the fear of losing the child and used various coping strategies.

Conclusion

Parents of critically ill children in the PICU have unmet needs. Healthcare team members should take initiative in relieving parental distress and improving their coping abilities.

How to cite this article

Kichu S, Joshi P, Bhandari S, Lodha R, Jaykrishnan K. Experiences of the Parents of Children Admitted to PICU. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(7):696-701.

Factors influencing neonatal intensive care unit nurses' parent partnership development

BACKGROUND

Neonatal nurses play an important role in the development of effective partnerships, as they have more consistent interactions with the patients' parents and can encourage parental involvement. This study aimed to identify factors influencing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses' development of partnerships with parents of high-risk infants in South Korea based on King's interacting systems theory.

METHODS

We collected data utilizing a structured questionnaire, which included the following variables: developmental supportive nursing competency, empowerment, emotional intelligence, patient-centered communication skills, interpersonal competence, nursing work environment, and nurse-parent partnership. The participants were 140 pediatric nurses with at least one year of NICU experience in South Korea. We used SPSS/WIN 26.0 to analyze the data.

FINDINGS

Of the factors evaluated, empowerment (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), patient-centered communication skills (β = 0.25, p < 0.01), interpersonal competence (β = -0.27, p = 0.001), emotional intelligence (β = 0.25, p = 0.005), age (β = -0.15, p < 0.01), and gender (β = 0.12, p = 0.03) explained 62.4% of the total variance of the nurse-parent partnership. Our results identify the factors affecting NICU nurses' development of partnerships with parents of high-risk infants.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Strategies and efforts to enhance the nurse-parent relationship must consider improving nurse empowerment, intelligence, and interpersonal factors.

Designing Dynamic Interventions to Improve Adherence in Pediatric Long-Term Treatment - The Role of Perceived Value of the Physician by Primary Caregivers

Primary Caregivers are the fulcrum in the physician-caregiver-child triad. Existing literature discusses static multi-component interventions in detail. In long-term treatments, dynamic intervention design is needed as the environment and situations of the families are dynamic. The objectives of this study are (a) to identify the components of the primary caregiver's perception of the physician's value with reference to the effectiveness of consultation and relationships with the former and with the child; (b) to establish the role of this perception in designing dynamic interventions, and (c) to describe the perception's potential influence on adherence. A PRISMA, chronological, and morphological analysis of the literature is carried out about caregivers' adherence in the pediatric long-term treatment context. We define communication and consultation as the functional, whereas relationship as the emotional component of the caregiver's perception of the physician. We propose a theoretical model that incorporates intervention as an integral component of care. Adherence happens as a response to changing situations and hence fluctuates. Hence, a dynamic intervention design to benefit the child should be incorporated into care through the caregiver-physician bridge. Future research should explore how intervention needs change and the driving reasons for understanding the static and dynamic components of interventions.

Life-sustaining treatment decisions in pediatric intensive care: an Italian survey on ethical concerns

Objectives

To investigate how life-sustaining treatment (LST) decisions are made and identify problematic ethical concerns confronted by physicians and nurses in pediatric intensive care within Italy.

Methods

An 88-question online survey was created, based on a previous qualitative study conducted by this team. The survey was designed to identify how LST decisions were managed; contrasting actual practices with what participants think practices should be. Replies from physicians and nurses were compared, to identify potential inter-professional ethical tensions. The study also identified participants’ principal ethical concerns. Moreover, open-ended questions elicited qualitative perspectives on participants’ views. The survey was pilot-tested and refined before initiation of the study.

Results

31 physicians and 65 nurses participated in the study. Participants were recruited from pediatric intensive care units across five Italian cities; i.e., Florence, Milan, Padua, Rome, Verona. Statistically significant differences were identified for (a) virtually all questions contrasting actual practices with what participants think practices should be and (b) 14 questions contrasting physician replies with those of nurses. Physicians and nurses identified the absence of legislative standards for LST withdrawal as a highly problematic ethical concern. Physicians also identified bearing responsibility for LST decisions as a major concern. Qualitative descriptions further demonstrated that these Italian pediatric intensive care clinicians encounter significantly distressing ethical problems in their practice.

Conclusions

The results of this study highlight a need for the development of (a) strategies for improving team processes regarding LST decisions, so they can be better aligned with how clinicians think decisions should be made, and (b) Italian LST decision-making standards that can help ensure optimal ethical practices.

Parental Decision-Making in Pediatric Intensive Care: A Concept Analysis

The development of nursing knowledge requires a close relationship between theory, research, and practice. The purpose of the analysis of the concept of "parental decision-making in pediatric critical care" is to facilitate nurses' therapeutic care of critically ill children and their families. To construct, structure, and give meaning to the concept, we use our experience in the field, critical reading of the literature, and careful analysis of data that have emerged about parental decision-making in pediatric intensive care. Several factors affect parent's ability to act as decision-makers: the psychosocial and physical disorders they develop, the subordination of their parental roles by the health care team, and the child's critical state of health. While different disciplines, including nursing, have well described the decision-making concept, parental decision-making in the context of pediatric intensive care has not been as well delineated. Nursing science recognizes the importance of decision-making and has incorporated the concept as an essential domain of its philosophical and disciplinary interests. Following the method proposed by Walker and Avant, the concept was analyzed, attributes, background, and consequences described. A model case was presented and discussed. An operational definition emerges, providing knowledge for professional nursing practice and will be the basis for an essential theoretical development around this phenomenon. Parents' recognition, the promotion of family-centered care, and shared decisions are ideal for encouraging parental participation.

End-of-life communication: a nationwide study of bereaved parents’ perceptions

Objective

To investigate bereaved parents’ perception of end-of-life communication with healthcare professionals after losing a child due to life-limiting diagnoses.

Methods

A national register identified the causes of death of 951 children aged 0–18 years during the period 2012–2014. A previously described classification of life-limiting diagnoses identified 402 children. A modified version of the self-administered questionnaire 'To Lose a Child' was distributed to the parents of these 402 children, capturing their perceptions of communication with the healthcare professionals throughout the child’s disease trajectory and imminent death.

Results

A total of 193 bereaved parents, representing 38% of the identified children, participated in the study. Overall, 98% of the parents expressed the view that physicians should immediately disclose when curatively intended treatment options were exhausted. Some 79% of parents reported that information about their child’s incurable illness was given in an appropriate manner; however, 42% said that information about the child's imminent death was given too late. Finally, 31% felt deprived of the option to say goodbye to their child in their preferred manner, and 56% said that their child’s death was “a shock”.

Conclusions

Parents request accurate and timely information. However, a substantial number of the parents surveyed reported that healthcare professionals communicated too late about palliative care and end-of-life issues. Even though healthcare professionals strive to communicate effectively with dying children and their parents, barriers were identified that may hinder even the best of intentions. National guidelines addressing communication issues and improved education of healthcare professionals should form part of any future agenda.

End-of-Life Milieu of Critically Sick Children Admitted to a Pediatric Hospital: A Comparative Study of Survivors versus Nonsurvivors

Objective:

The aim of this study was to describe end-of-life (EOL) milieu among caregivers of children who died in the hospital and to compare their psychosocial, spiritual, and financial concerns with caregivers of children who survived.

Materials and Methods:

Sixty caregivers of children (30 survivors and 30 nonsurvivors), admitted in the pediatric intensive care unit and general pediatric unit, were recruited over a period of 1 year. Mixed qualitative methods were used to collect information from parents on EOL care perspectives.

Results:

Demographic, disease, and treatment-related characteristics were not significantly different between nonsurvivor and survivor groups. The caregivers of nonsurvivors versus survivors showed no significant differences as regards optimal care (76.67% vs. 56.67%), social support (76.6% vs. 66.67%), and frequent recitation of scriptures (30.77% vs. 45.83%). Mean medical expenditure among children receiving EOL care was Rs. 40,883 (range: Rs. 800–5 lakhs). Regression results revealed that for every 1 day of increase in hospital stay, cost of hospitalization for dying children increased by Rs. 3000 (P = 0.0001). Medical insurance was reported by only minority of the cases (5%). Several themes emerged in the focus group discussions with care providers which highlighted the importance of communication and need for emotional, social, and financial support. EOL decision was taken in only two of the nonsurviving children.

Conclusions:

The study offers useful insight about social, financial, and religious “end-of-life” needs among terminally sick children and thereby sensitizes the health-care providers to optimize their care at this niche period.

Ethical, Cultural, Social, and Individual Considerations Prior to Transition to Limitation or Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapies

As part of the invited supplement on Death and Dying in the PICU, we reviewed ethical, cultural, and social considerations for the bedside healthcare practitioner prior to engaging with children and families in decisions about limiting therapies, withholding, or withdrawing therapies in a PICU. Clarifying beliefs and values is a necessary prerequisite to approaching these conversations. Striving for medical consensus is important. Discussion, reflection, and ethical analysis may determine a range of views that may reasonably be respected if professional disagreements persist. Parental decisional support is recommended and should incorporate their information needs, perceptions of medical uncertainty, child's condition, and their role as a parent. Child's involvement in decision making should be considered, but may not be possible. Culturally attuned care requires early examination of cultural perspectives before misunderstandings or disagreements occur. Societal influences may affect expectations and exploration of such may help frame discussions. Hospital readiness for support of social media campaigns is recommended. Consensus with family on goals of care is ideal as it addresses all parties' moral stance and diminishes the risk for superseding one group's value judgments over another. Engaging additional supportive services early can aid with understanding or resolving disagreement. There is wide variation globally in ethical permissibility, cultural, and societal influences that impact the clinician, child, and parents. Thoughtful consideration to these issues when approaching decisions about limitation or withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies will help to reduce emotional, spiritual, and ethical burdens, minimize misunderstanding for all involved, and maximize high-quality care delivery.

The Importance of Parental Connectedness and Relationships With Healthcare Professionals in End-of-Life Care in the PICU

OBJECTIVES

Support from healthcare professionals in a PICU is highly valuable for parents of dying children. The way they care for the patients and their families affects the parents' initial mourning process. This study explores what interaction with hospital staff is meaningful to parents in existential distress when their child is dying in the PICU.

DESIGN

Qualitative interview study.

SETTING

Level 3 PICU in the Erasmus University Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, and the Netherlands.

SUBJECTS

Thirty-six parents of 20 children who had died in this unit 5 years previously.

INTERVENTIONS

Parents participated in audio-recorded interviews in their own homes. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Parents' narratives of their child's end-of-life stage in the PICU bespeak experiences of estrangement, emotional distancing, and loneliness. Significant moments shared with hospital staff that remained valuable even after 5 years primarily involved personal connectedness, reflected in frequent informational updates, personal commitment of professionals, and interpersonal contact with doctors and nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents whose children died in the PICU value personal connectedness to doctors and nurses when coping with existential distress. Medical and nursing training programs should raise awareness of parents' need for contact in all interactions but especially in times of crisis and apprehension.

Exploration of Parent-Provider Communication During Clinic Visits for Children With Chronic Conditions

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to explore the communication behaviors demonstrated by parents of children with chronic conditions and provider team members when communicating about the child's care in outpatient clinics using concepts from the Theory of Shared Communication (TSC).

METHODS

This was a secondary data analysis of 30 previously recorded pediatric clinic visits. Communication among parents and provider team members was analyzed using a researcher-developed coding scheme based on the TSC.

RESULTS

Provider team members dominated communication during clinic visits, showing more frequent use of asking, explaining, advocating, and negotiating behaviors than parents. Parents were engaged in communication with frequent asking, explaining, and advocating behaviors.

DISCUSSION

Parents of children with chronic conditions and multidisciplinary providers demonstrated the communication behaviors of the TSC in an outpatient clinic setting. Provider dominance of communication in the clinic setting may disempower parents and impair relationships.

Elements of Family-Centered Care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: An Integrative Review

This paper reports result from a systematic search and thematic analysis of qualitative literature to identify key issues related to family-centered care, behaviors, and communication skills that support the parental role and improve patient and family outcomes in the PICU. Five themes were identified: 1) sharing information; 2) hearing parental voices; 3) making decisions for or with parents; 4) negotiating roles; and 5) individualizing communication. These themes highlight several gaps between how parents want to be involved and perceive clinicians engage them in the care of their child. Parental preferences for involvement differ in the domains of information sharing, decision making, and power-sharing across a spectrum of parental roles from parents as care provider to care recipient. The PICU setting may place clinicians in a double bind trying to both engage families and protect them from distress. Asking families of critically ill children about their preferences for participation across these domains may improve clinician-family relationships.

[Communication, information, and roles of parents in the pediatric intensive care unit: A review article]

Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), whose accessibility to parents raises controversy, often operate under their own rules. Patients are under critical and unstable conditions, often in a life-threatening situation. In this context, the communication with the parents and their participation in the unit may be difficult. Information is a legal, deontological, and moral duty for caregivers, confirmed by the parents' needs. But the ability to enforce them is a challenge, and there is a gap between the theory and the reality. The communication between the parents and the physicians starts at the admission of the child with a family conference. According to the Société de réanimation de langue française (SRLF), the effectiveness of the communication is based on three criteria: the patients' comprehension, their satisfaction and their anxiety and depression. It has been shown that comprehension depends on multiple factors, related on the parents, the physicians, and the medical condition of the child. Regarding the parents' participation in the organization of the service, the parents' presence is becoming an important factor. In the PICU, the parents' status has evolved. They become a member of the care team, as a partner. The best interest of the child is always discussed with the parents, as the person knowing the best their child. This partnership gives them a responsibility, which is complementary to the physician's one, but does not substitute it.