Nurses' and parents' perceptions of participation and partnership in caring for a hospitalized child

Abstract

A descriptive study was undertaken to determine whether parents were able to participate in the care of their hospitalized child and work in partnership with the nurses. The study utilized method triangulation and was conducted in two phases. In phase one a postal survey of 65 nurses was undertaken in three children's wards within an NHS trust hospital, while in the second phase, 12 in-depth interviews were completed with parents in their own homes following their child's discharge from hospital. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The data suggested that parents were willing to be involved in caring for their hospitalized child yet experienced difficulties as a result of inadequate information and the nurses' reluctance to relinquish control of the nursing care. These findings demonstrated that nurses and parents had different perceptions of their individual roles. Consequently, the nurse/parent relationship was not always conducive to a partnership approach, which has implications for both nurse education and clinical practice.