A family-centered care for the professional activities of medical staff in pediatric ICU: a multicenter questionnaire study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Medical staff limits often the presence of parents in ICU with their children, citing the fact that parents can bring serious difficulties to the work of the department. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate social and psycho-emotional aspects of joint stay of a family member (parents) with a patient (child) in ICU from the viewpoint of the medical stuff. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included hospitals, which followed the principles of a family centered care (FCC) approach in the treatment of patients (median and quartiles years - 4.00 (2.00; 10.00)). The 417 questionnaires were analyzed. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis. RESULTS: Respondents assessed the working conditions and the level of their wages not higher than satisfactory in more than 30 % of the answers. In the spectrum of assistance provided by family members to a patient in the ICU, the medical staff indicated 89 % and 91.5 % respectively sanitary and hygienic care, 82 % and 81.9 % - feeding him, 32 % and 47.1 % - assistance in transportation patient. The first level of preparation of parents for caring for a patient in the ICU was 3 (2; 3) - doctors and 3 (2; 3) - nurses, and when the patient was transferred from the ICU - 4 (3; 4) and 3 (3; 4) respectively. Claims in the opinion of the medical staff from patients and parents were due to their underestimation of the complexity of the situation with the patient (58 % and 48.6 %), the characteristics of patients (33 % and 36.3 %) and their parents (48 % and 39.8 %), insufficient awareness of the patient‘s health status (nurses - 23.2 %). CONCLUSIONS: The FCC in the ICU does not introduce significant psycho-emotional and labor loads in the professional activities of medical staff and creates positive conditions for increasing the level of knowledge and skills of parents in caring for their children.