Parental expectations of support from healthcare providers during pediatric life-threatening illness: A secondary, qualitative analysis.
Kim Mooney-Doyle, Maiara Rodrigues Dos Santos, Regina Szylit and 1 others
PMID 28888498WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with life-threatening illness wanted practical help with food, parking, childcare and work, plus providers who saw their whole family and offered emotional support, not only the sick child.
Key findings
01Parents wanted practical support with food, parking, childcare for siblings, and flexible work arrangements.
02Parents wanted providers to care for the child and family as a whole, not just complete tasks.
03Parents wanted providers to acknowledge their distress and help them solve concrete family problems.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The interviews were collected for a primary study, not for this secondary question about expectations of providers. The sample came from one hospital and included only English-speaking parents, so families who speak other languages or were not recruited are not represented. Fifteen of 31 participants were White mothers and only six were fathers, so the themes may not reflect all parents or families. Five parents did not complete the qualitative interview, including one who withdrew, one who completed only the survey, and three whose children died before data collection. The study reports parents' expectations and experiences, not measured effects of any nursing or healthcare intervention.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as evidence that any provider action works. The study asked parents what they wanted, and it did not test whether those supports changed outcomes.