Parental perceptions in pediatric cardiac fast-track surgery.

This project investigated parents' and caregivers' perceptions of the fast-track surgery process with regard to their child's surgical procedure and hospital stay. The goal of this project was to review and improve the fast-track process. Participants were parents/caregivers of pediatric patients (ie, younger than 18 years) who had undergone a low-complexity cardiac surgical procedure on a fast-track basis at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, United Kingdom, between January 2006 and January 2008. Findings suggest that parents/caregivers overestimate the time it takes for several key milestones in the fast-track process to occur and that there is a need for preoperative and preadmission education that will allow parents/caregivers to be more involved in their child's care.