Lyndsay Mackay1, Karen Benzies2, Chantelle Barnard3, Shelley Raffin Bouchal4. 1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary,, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: mackayl@spu.edu. 2. Faculty of Nursing, Departments of Paediatrics and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: benzies@ucalgary.ca. 3. Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: chantelle.barnard@albertahealthservices.ca. 4. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary,, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: raffin@ucalgary.ca.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To understand contemporary experiences of pediatric health care professionals' (HCPs) caring for hospitalized Medically Fragile Infants (MFI) and their parents. DESIGN AND METHODS: Convenience sampling was adopted to recruit 26 HCPs who provided care to MFI and their parents on inpatient units at a large tertiary pediatric hospital in Western Canada. Participants participated in either a focus group or individual face-to-face interview. Themes and concepts emerged during open and focused coding. FINDINGS: HCPs encountered barriers to establishing relationships with parents, including: (a) intricate nature of MFI, (b) lack of social supports, (c) inconsistency, (d) moral distress, (e) burnout, and (f) struggle to gain control. HCPs utilized strategies to establish relationships with parents, including: (a) normalizing and building parental confidence, (b) tailoring care and being flexible, (c) providing parent care, and (d) optimizing communication. CONCLUSION: HCPs aimed to establish relationships built on trust with parents of MFI to empower and enable parents to care for their infants. The relationship was the vehicle to enhance the care provided and well-being of MFI. HCPs encountered barriers to establishing trusting relationships and utilized strategies to establish such relationships. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is valuable to understand the importance that the parent-HCPs relationship plays in the care provided to hospitalized MFI and how lack thereof can lead to moral distress and burnout among HCPs. Increasing HCPs' awareness of barriers and strategies to the establishment of a trusting relationship with parents could help improve the collaborative relationship between parents and HCPs.
PURPOSE: To understand contemporary experiences of pediatric health care professionals' (HCPs) caring for hospitalized Medically Fragile Infants (MFI) and their parents. DESIGN AND METHODS: Convenience sampling was adopted to recruit 26 HCPs who provided care to MFI and their parents on inpatient units at a large tertiary pediatric hospital in Western Canada. Participants participated in either a focus group or individual face-to-face interview. Themes and concepts emerged during open and focused coding. FINDINGS: HCPs encountered barriers to establishing relationships with parents, including: (a) intricate nature of MFI, (b) lack of social supports, (c) inconsistency, (d) moral distress, (e) burnout, and (f) struggle to gain control. HCPs utilized strategies to establish relationships with parents, including: (a) normalizing and building parental confidence, (b) tailoring care and being flexible, (c) providing parent care, and (d) optimizing communication. CONCLUSION: HCPs aimed to establish relationships built on trust with parents of MFI to empower and enable parents to care for their infants. The relationship was the vehicle to enhance the care provided and well-being of MFI. HCPs encountered barriers to establishing trusting relationships and utilized strategies to establish such relationships. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is valuable to understand the importance that the parent-HCPs relationship plays in the care provided to hospitalized MFI and how lack thereof can lead to moral distress and burnout among HCPs. Increasing HCPs' awareness of barriers and strategies to the establishment of a trusting relationship with parents could help improve the collaborative relationship between parents and HCPs.