Involvement Of Parents In Decision-making Research Articles

Health professionals’ involvement of parents in decision-making in interprofessional practice at the hospital

ABSTRACTHealth professionals have the responsibility of involving parents in decision-making regarding children’s healthcare. This is to ensure that healthcare is customised to meet children’s and families’ needs and preferences. There is inadequate knowledge about health professionals’ role in involving parents in these decisions in interprofessional practice in hospital settings. The aim of this study was to explore health professionals’ construction of the phenomenon of parental involvement in decision-making about children’s healthcare at the hospital and to identify how parental involvement can be improved. This explorative, descriptive qualitative study within a constructivist research paradigm selected a purposive sample of 12 health professionals who participated in individual semi-structured interviews. This qualitative data was used to construct a description of this phenomenon. The health professionals described ethical dilemmas and challenges related to parental involvement in decision-making while also providing technically safe, justifiable healthcare. Individual health professionals’ involvement of parents in decision-making and the intra- and interprofessional collaboration between health professionals seemed to be of great importance to increase parents’ active involvement in the co-production of children’s healthcare. Further research is required to confirm the findings for generalisation.

A Cross-National Analysis of Parent Involvement in Decision-Making: Germany, France and Turkey

Being a cross-national analysis, the aim of this study, which draws on data from school principals, is to evaluate parents’ involvement in decision-making processes comparatively in Turkey, Germany and France, which are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and were included in the study in terms of some variables, such as data in Human Development Index (HDI) report 2016 and results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 reading skills, math and science literacy results’ based on demographic, socio-economic, socio-cultural variables as well as achievements in education, population trends and parents’ involvement in education. Phenomonology research design from qualitative research methods was used in this study. Data analyses relied on content analysis technique. School administrators from Turkey, Germany and France were included through criteria sampling method from purposeful sampling methods. Interview technique was employed in order to collect data through a semi-structured interview form. The findings of the study highlighted that all participants agree on the positive impact of parents’ involvement in decision-making but there are some ambiguity how and what level parents must involve in decision-making processes. Some recommendations are made on how to improve involvement in decision-making process.

Paediatric end-of-life care needs in Switzerland: current practices, and perspectives from parents and professionals. A study protocol

To present a protocol for a multi-phase study about the current practice of end-of-life care in paediatric settings in Switzerland. In Switzerland, paediatric palliative care is usually provided by teams, who may not necessarily have specific training. There is a lack of systematic data about specific aspects of care at the end of a child's life, such as symptom management, involvement of parents in decision-making and family-centred care and experiences and needs of parents, and perspectives of healthcare professionals. This retrospective nationwide multicentre study, Paediatric End-of-LIfe CAre Needs in Switzerland (PELICAN), combines quantitative and qualitative methods of enquiry. The PELICAN study consists of three observational parts, PELICAN I describes practices of end-of-life care (defined as the last 4 weeks of life) in the hospital and home care setting of children (0-18 years) who died in the years 2011-2012 due to a cardiac, neurological or oncological disease, or who died in the neonatal period. PELICAN II assesses the experiences and needs of parents during the end-of-life phase of their child. PELICAN III focuses on healthcare professionals and explores their perspectives concerning the provision of end-of-life care. This first study across Switzerland will provide comprehensive insight into the current end-of-life care in children with distinct diagnoses and the perspectives of affected parents and health professionals. The results may facilitate the development and implementation of programmes for end-of-life care in children across Switzerland, building on real experiences and needs. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01983852.

Home and School Factors Impacting Parental Involvement in a Title I Elementary School

Before and after the interventions of summer classes for parents and an interactive homework program, parents of children in an inner-city southeastern U.S. elementary school were interviewed and teachers surveyed to determine home and school factors that impacted parental involvement in their children's education. Beliefs about roles and perceptions of life contexts consistently indicated that these mostly high-school-educated, African American parents in a Title I school were involved in the education of their elementary school-age children, at home and school. Self-reported teacher behaviors included an increase in helping parents to establish home environments more conducive to support children, more regular communication, more involvement of parents in decision-making, and more involvement in the community. Results about factors influencing involvement at home were basically the same for these Title I parents as factors more often associated with higher socioeconomic status parents. School practices indicated that teachers need to better understand the lives that Title I parents live, as well as how to help parents improve their efforts to support children's education, at home and school.

Children of the 21st century: Slipping through the net

This article briefly explores the literature focusing on early childhood development, parenting and the provision of health services to young families. It highlights a number of reasons why some children with subtle developmental difficulties are not identified until school age. Relevant to child health nurses are: a changing focus on early childhood health issues; low repeat attendance at child health clinics, and the reluctance of parents to seek assistance; the impact of socio-economic status, cultural and ideological influences; the challenges presented in using complex screening tools; the difficulty in detecting subtle developmental problems; the lack of involvement of parents in decision-making; and, the reluctance of both professionals and parents to ‘label’ children. Drawing attention to these issues is essential for child health nurses who have the opportunity to provide effective and timely assistance to families and young children.