NURSES' PERCEPTIONS OF CARING FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC MEDICAL COPLEXITY IN THE PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Denis-Larocque D, Williams K, St-Sauveur I, Ruddy M. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn2017.01.010.

In this interpretive descriptive design study, the researchers sought to explore nurses' perceptions of caring for parents of children with chronic medical complexity (CMC). With advances in neonatal, critical care, and medical technology, medically fragile children are surviving longer. As a result, these children are experiencing lifelong complications and hospitalizations. The researchers go on to state that the parents of these children must become experts in providing advanced medical care and may present challenges to the nurses caring for them in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Study participants (n = 10) were interviewed in semistructured interviews lasting 45 to 90 minutes, audiotaped and transcribed verbatim with ongoing member checking. The study participants found that over time the parents of children with CMC and the nursing staff developed a partnership with mutual understanding and trust. Three major themes emerged: "thrown to the wolves," "getting to know each other," and "keeping connected."

The authors concluded that this study found information on the importance of developing a trusting nurse-parent partnership/relationship in caring for children with CMC in the pediatric intensive care unit. The study will be used to help develop strategies to enhance both the parents and the nurses with this relationship.