A recent study published in the American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC
) reveals a significant link between perceived miscommunication with healthcare professionals and heightened stress levels among parents of hospitalized children.
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.
The study,”Factors Associated With Parent-Perceived Miscommunication in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit,” analyzed responses from a cross-sectional survey of parents whose children had PICU stays exceeding 24 hours between Jan. 1, 2018, and Feb. 29, 2020.
Beyond increased parental stress, the study found that perceived miscommunication correlated with a higher perceived severity of the child’s condition and lower family functioning scores. Miscommunication perceptions were also tied to how parents rated healthcare providers’ communication.
Jesse Wool, PhD, MBE, RN, an assistant professor at Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing and co-author of the study, conducted this research as part of his doctoral dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, which funded the study. “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,” Wool explained. “Inconsistency among clinicians may contribute to miscommunication, reduce trust from parents, and complicate the decision-making process.”
Parents reported issues such as conflicting information, delays in receiving crucial updates about their child’s condition, inconsistent information (15.5%), communication problems (11.5%), and false or inaccurate information (5%).
The study also found that perceived miscommunication was associated with longer hospital stays and a greater number of diagnoses. Out of 360 eligible participants, 215 primary caregivers consented to participate in the study. A final group of 200 respondents provided sufficient data for inclusion.
For the complete article and full-text PDF, visit the AJCC website at www.ajcconline.org.
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