Study in American Journal of Critical Care examines parents’ post-discharge perceptions of miscommunication during their child’s hospital stay
News — Perceptions of miscommunication with clinicians are significantly associated with the stress level reported by parents whose child was hospitalized, according to a study published in American Journal of Critical Care ().
A survey of parents of children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at a Philadelphia-based children’s hospital found that while reported levels of perceived miscommunication were low overall, 16.5% agreed that miscommunication had occurred during their child’s PICU stay.
“” examines the results of a cross-sectional survey of parents of children who had a PICU stay longer than 24 hours, between Jan. 1, 2018, and Feb. 29, 2020.
In addition to higher scores for parental stress, other psychosocial factors that were significantly correlated with perceived miscommunication included higher perceived acuity of the child’s condition and lower scores for family functioning. Parent-perceived miscommunication is associated with the ratings of provider communication and parental stress.
Co-author Jesse Wool, PhD, MBE, RN, is an assistant professor at M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University, Pennsylvania. The study was his dissertation for his doctoral studies at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, which provided funding for the research.
“Recognizing that parental stress is linked to perceptions of miscommunication can impact how clinicians help parents navigate their child’s critical illness and hospital stay,” he said. “Inconsistency among clinicians may contribute to miscommunication, reduce trust from parents and complicate the decision-making process.”
Specific types of miscommunication included conflicting information or a delay in parents receiving key information about their child’s illness. Parents reported receiving inconsistent information (15.5%), experiencing communication problems (11.5%) and being given false or inaccurate information (5%).
Among clinical characteristics, parent-perceived miscommunication was also correlated with longer hospital stays and higher numbers of diagnoses.
A total of 215 primary caregivers consented to participate in the study, from 360 eligible participants whom the researchers were able to reach after a randomized selection process of a larger data set. The final population was 200 respondents who provided sufficient data to be included in the study.
To access the article and full-text PDF, visit the AJCC website at .
About the American Journal of Critical Care: The American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC), a bimonthly scientific journal published by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, provides leading-edge clinical research that focuses on evidence-based-practice applications. Established in 1992, the award-winning journal includes clinical and research studies, case reports, editorials and commentaries. AJCC enjoys a circulation of about 130,000 acute and critical care nurses and can be accessed at .
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and nearly 200 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; ;; x.com/aacnme
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