PARENTS' PERCEPTIONS REGARDING READINESS FOR THEIR INFANT'S DISCHARGE FROM THE NICU
Burnham N, Feeley N, Sherrand K. Neonatal Netw. 2013;32(5):324-334.
The authors of this qualitative research project state that infants are being discharged home directly from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after health care professionals have provided care. Upon discharge, parents are expected to assume full care of their infants. With this qualitative study, the researchers sought to identify what parents need to feel ready for their infant to be discharged from the NICU.
The researchers interviewed parents of infants (n = 20) who were admitted to a level III NICU for a minimum of 5 days. Parents were asked to identify what they required to be ready for their child to be discharged from the NICU and go home with the parents providing care for their infants. Interviews then underwent content analysis for a descriptive summary of parents' perceptions of their needs.
The researchers found that parents indicated a need for information and hands-on experience with their infants. Parents also felt that observation of their infants in the NICU environment impacted their perception of their infant's readiness to be discharged home. Parents also felt that information and experiences should be tailored to meet the needs of their family.
CONSENTING TO PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE RESEARCH: UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVE OF PARENTS
Thomas M, Menon K. Can Assoc Crit Care Nurses. 2013;24(3):18-25.
The objective of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe the experiences of parents/legal guardians who chose to either consent or decline for their child to be enrolled in a research project. Another object of this study was to explore factors that influenced parent's decisions and suggestions for improving the consent process.
Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents who gave or declined consent (n = 7) for their child to participate in a research study while their child was in a critical care unit. The researchers found parental consent to be influenced by several factors involving the characteristics of the consent encounter, including the following: timing, location, and information; parent's emotional state, decision-making style, experiences with research, and personal motivation; child's condition and responses to pain/needles; and study risk, methods, burden, and benefit. Parents identified that timing and how they received information during the consent encounter could be improved. Some of the parental recommendations included not to approach the family while their child was in surgery, provide short written explanation for parents to take away and review, provide supplemental information for the parents to review, and to reinforce their consent is voluntary.
The researchers found that parents identified that some benefit to their child was essential for them to consent to a research study. The authors concluded that researchers must consider how parents perceive the approach to consent for research trial for the child and balance the need to protect and support parents of children who are critically ill and the need for pediatric critical care research trials.