A double concern: grandmothers' experiences when a small grandchild is critically ill.

Grandmothers play an active part in family health and illness, but so far they are peripheral in both nursing and nursing research. This article addresses grandmothers' lived experiences when a small grandchild is critically ill. A convenience sample of 7 grandmothers was interviewed once. With the use of the methodology of Van Manen, (1990), the essence of the phenomenon was found to be a "double concern," a worry and loving care that encompassed both parents and grandchildren. Although the findings have limitations, they constitute a systematic and thematic description of Danish grandmothers' experiences and therefore add to a family-oriented body of knowledge in pediatric nursing.