Are Parents Who Feel the Need to Watch Over Their Children's Care Better Patient Safety Partners?

OBJECTIVES: Many parents report needing to watch over their child's hospital care to prevent mistakes. In this study, we assessed whether needing to watch over care predicts parent performance of recommended safety behaviors to reduce medication errors and health care-associated infections.
METHODS: At admission, we surveyed 170 parents about their need to watch over care, demographics, and hospitalization factors. At discharge, parents were surveyed about medication awareness and hand hygiene behaviors. Logistic regression was used to examine how parents' need to watch over care predicted each behavior, adjusting for demographics and hospitalization factors.
RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of parents reported needing to watch over care. Most parents (77%) reported frequently or very frequently asking providers for drug names or doses. Fewer parents asked to check drug or infusion accuracy (29%) or to show or read aloud medication labels (21%). Few parents reminded providers to clean hands (4%), but most stated they would be comfortable asking (82%) and likely to speak up if a provider did not (78%). After adjustment, parents needing to watch over care were significantly more likely to ask providers to check drug or infusion accuracy (adjusted odds ratio = 4.59, 95% confidence interval 2.14-9.94) and for drug name or dose (adjusted odds ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval 1.25-7.39).
CONCLUSIONS: Parents who report the need to watch over care are more likely to perform behaviors specific to safe medication use (but not hand hygiene) compared with those not reporting this need. Opportunities exist to engage parents as safety partners by leveraging their need to watch over care toward system-level safety initiatives.