Parents’ experience in taking care of critically ill children while hospitalization

• Main Authors: Wan Mohd Annuar, W Solihatul Hafidzah, Ludin, Salizar, Amran, Nurfatin Amirah
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Elsevier 2021
• Subjects: RT Nursing; RT82 Nursing As A Profession
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/89330/7/89330_Parents%E2%80%99%20experience%20in%20taking%20care%20of%20critically%20ill%20children%20while%20hospitalization.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/89330/13/89330_Parents%E2%80%99%20experience%20in%20taking%20care%20of%20critically%20ill%20children_scopus.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/89330/; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1130862120305180

The objective of the study is to explore the experiences of parents taking care of their critically ill child at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or the Paediatric Intensive care unit (PICU) in the Malaysian hospital. A total of ten parents were interviewed and selected for purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis based on the Colaizzi’sapproach. The study identified four emerging themes from data that included participation in care, participation in decision-making, challenges, and coping mechanisms throughout the child's hospitalization. Parents have emphasized the importance of their participation in the care and decision-making of their children. They also have their own coping mechanisms that would make their journey less traumatic. Nurses need to enhance their communication skills and improve nurse-parent relationships.