Assessment of Parent and Nurse Perceptions of Parental Participation in Hospital Paediatric Care

Abstract

Background: Parent and nurse perceptions about the care of hospitalized children have been examined in developed countries, but little is known in developing countries. Objective: The study aims to evaluate the perceptions of nurses and parents towards parental participation in care for hospitalized children and associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from nurses and parents in paediatric units in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using the Parent Participation Attitude Scale (PPAS), and the agreement and differences between groups were analysed. Results: The present results found that both parents and nurses agreed on 7 out of 20 statements regarding parental involvement in care for their children. Nurses in paediatric surgery had a higher perception of involving parents (P = 0.002), while nurses in Well Baby Nursery (WBN) ward had the lowest perception. The present findings confirm that married caregivers had higher perceptions (P = 0.035) than their single counterparts. Conclusion: Parent participation attitude was agreed on for seven statements between parents and nurses. More studies are required to explore the relationship between healthcare providers and parents with regard to parental participation in caring for hospitalized children.