Parents' experiences of their child's best interests during a hospital stay in Australia.
Angela Afua Quaye, Mandie Foster, Lisa Whitehead and 1 others
PMID 38569118WHAT IT FOUND
Parents described their child's best interests as collaboration and trust built through open, age-appropriate communication.
They valued professionals who asked the child's permission, tailored explanations, and let the child help with care tasks.
Key findings
01Parents described a main theme of balancing collaboration and developing trustworthy relationships through effective communication during care situations.
02Parents valued age-appropriate interactions, including asking permission before invasive examinations or treatments and adapting how professionals spoke to the child.
03Parents also reported shortcomings, including unclear explanations and long waits that left them agitated and exhausted.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The interviews were short, which may have narrowed the scope of the data. The sample was a convenience sample from a tertiary hospital, and all parents were of European ethnicity. Most admissions were acute, and parental stress may have influenced the depth, quality, and length of interviews. The study did not allow time to build rapport before interviews, which may have limited what parents shared. Parents of children living with disability were not fully represented, and few fathers were interviewed. Findings may not transfer to other settings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding came from nursing-related grants in Australia and a childhood cancer fund in Sweden.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these parent-reported preferences as evidence that communication or participation strategies improve clinical outcomes. The study describes experiences only, and the sample was limited to parents of hospitalised children in an Australian hospital.