"When the surgery was over, I felt like the worst part had passed": experiences of parents of children with craniosynostosis.
Anna S Zerpe, Daniel Nowinski, Mia Ramklint and 1 others
PMID 35266265WHAT IT FOUND
Parents recalled feeling safe after their child's craniosynostosis surgery when staff were competent and information was clear, but some felt abandoned when the child woke in ICU and struggled to ask for help.
Phone access to the craniofacial nurse after discharge comforted some parents.
Key findings
01Parents felt secure when staff were competent and helpful and when the care plan and information were clear, but some found it hard to ask for help.
02Some parents felt alone and abandoned, especially when their child woke in the ICU with tubes and when they had to find help after discharge.
03After discharge, the possibility to call the craniofacial nurse or pediatric ward comforted parents, but some found it difficult to call.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Interviews were conducted about one year after surgery, so memories could have faded or altered. Some interviews were shorter than expected for a qualitative interview study. The study was done at one Swedish craniofacial centre with 19 parents of 12 children, so the experiences may not transfer to other settings or diagnoses. The paper notes that parents' willingness to participate may have been related to how important they found the topic. The study did not test whether any support model reduces distress or improves care.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read parents' comfort with phone contact or routine follow-up as proof that these supports improve outcomes. The study asked parents what they experienced after surgery and did not test a care model.