Parents' perceptions of patient safety in paediatric hospital care-A mixed-methods systematic review.
Maria I Witkowska, Katja Janhunen, Natalia Sak-Dankosky and 1 others
PMID 39118473WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of hospitalized children are willing and ready to help monitor safety, but they often stay silent for fear of appearing rude or causing trouble for their child.
Clinicians must explicitly invite parents to speak up and verify care details to unlock this safety resource.
Key findings
01Parents feel safest and are most willing to engage in safety behaviors like checking medication or hand hygiene when explicitly invited and guided by staff.
02A major barrier to parental engagement is fear of being seen as confrontational or causing their child to receive worse care as retribution.
03Communication failures and lack of information transfer are primary causes of perceived safety threats and parental anxiety.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included only studies published in English, which may have omitted relevant research from other regions. All included studies were conducted in the United States or Brazil, limiting the generalizability of findings to other cultural or healthcare systems. The quality appraisal noted that many qualitative studies did not adequately address the researchers' own influence on the findings. One quasi-experimental study lacked a control group, relying only on before-and-after comparisons.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that parents' silence indicates a lack of concern or knowledge. The review highlights that parents often withhold safety observations due to fear of being perceived as rude or causing their child to receive poorer care, not because they are disengaged.