Enhancing parental experience and improving communication through parental participation on PICU ward rounds

The problem The adequacy of communication in staff–parent relationships plays a key role in parental experience of intensive care units. Parents’ experiences in intensive care settings are recognised as playing an integral part in defining the quality of care for their child.1 Prior to this initiative, our paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) requested parents to leave during morning ward rounds. This was in keeping with 3 out of the 12 large PICU training centres in the UK. Consultant and senior nursing staff members updated parents following completion of ward rounds; however, timing was variable and dependent on clinical workload. In our PICU survey, 17% of parents were not fully satisfied about being actively involved in decision-making about the care and treatment of their child. Furthermore, 10% stated they had not discussed their child’s care and treatment with doctors on a daily basis. This was an obvious...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Education and Practice - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Quality improvement Source Type: research