Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 1;24(1):421.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-04883-z.

Parents' experiences of family and daily life after their child's stay in the pediatric intensive care unit: a qualitative descriptive study

Sandra Stalder  1 , Daniela Händler-Schuster  1   2   3 , Franzisca Domeisen Benedetti  4
Affiliations

Parents' experiences of family and daily life after their child's stay in the pediatric intensive care unit: a qualitative descriptive study

Sandra Stalder et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Introduction: The stay of a critically ill child in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a significant experience for the family. Thus far, little is known regarding the impact of this stay on parents and their healthy children for whom no continuous aftercare services are offered. This study aimed to capture the post-stay experience and needs of parents after this traumatic event so that they could return to family and everyday life.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study was conducted in collaboration with four pediatric intensive care units in Switzerland. It included parents whose children had fully recovered after a stay and who did not require continuous medical follow-up. All children were hospitalized in the PICU for at least 48 h. Data were collected through narrative pairs (n = 6) and individual interviews (n = 8). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, coded inductively according to Saldaña, and analyzed.

Results: The results showed three related phases that influence each other to restore normality in daily life: Trust and inclusion in the treatment process during the stay (1), processing after the stay (2), and returning to everyday life (3).

Conclusion: Follow-up meetings should be available to all parents whose children have been hospitalized in the PICU. In particular, it should also be available to parents whose children have fully recovered and no longer have any medical disabilities.

Keywords: Critically ill child; Experience; Family and daily life; Follow-up; Parents; Pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Process of integration into family and everyday life after a stay in the pediatric intensive care unit
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ekim A. The Post-intensive Care Syndrome in Children. Compr Child Adolesc Nurs. 2020;43(1):15–21. doi: 10.1080/24694193.2018.1520323. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schiffmann JH. Pädiatrische Intensiv- Und Notfallmedizin. Pädiatrie. 2019;135–55. 10.1007/978-3-662-57295-5_5.
    1. Nelson LP, Lachman SE, Li SW, Gold JI. The effects of Family Functioning on the development of posttraumatic stress in children and their parents following admission to the PICU*. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2019;20(4):e208–15. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000001894. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abela KM, Wardell D, Rozmus C, LoBiondo-Wood G. Impact of Pediatric critical illness and Injury on families: an updated systematic review. J Pediatr Nurs. 2020;51:21–31. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2019.10.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fayed N, Cameron S, Fraser D, Cameron JI, Al-Harbi S, Simpson R, et al. Priority outcomes in critically Ill children: a patient and parent perspective. Am J Crit Care. 2020;29(5):e94–103. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2020188. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources