Background: Parents have significant responsibility in the care of their critically ill children who have been\nadmitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). When staying with their children in the hospital, they also have particular\nneeds that should be adequately acknowledged and responded to by healthcare providers. Moreover, when their\nneeds are not identified and addressed, parents may experience stress and anxiety as a result. This study describes\nthe needs of parents caring for hospitalized critically ill children, as perceived by parents and nurses.\nMethods: This study used a descriptive qualitative research design. Five focus group discussions with nurses and\nparents of critically ill children, who were purposefully recruited, were conducted at the Kilimanjaro Christian\nMedical Centre Hospital. A qualitative content analysis guided the analysis of the data.\nResults: Two themes emerged from the perceptions of parents and nurses about the needs of parents caring for\nhospitalized critically ill children. These were: â??engaging parents in the care of their childrenâ? and â??receiving\npsychosocial supportâ?. Both parents and nurses identified the importance of providing adequate information about\ntheir childrenâ??s progress, encouraging and involving parents in the care of their children and having flexible visiting\ntime for parents was vital when caring for critically ill children.\nConclusions: This study provides an in-depth understanding of parentsâ?? needs when caring for critically ill children\nin the hospital setting. Nurses caring for these children should understand the needs of parents and integrate the\nparents into the daily care of their children. Nurses should also continuously support, inform and engage parents\nduring child-caring procedures. Finally, visiting times for intensive care units should be flexible and allow more time\nfor parents to connect with their hospitalized children.
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