Factors influencing sleep for parents of critically ill hospitalised children: A qualitative analysis

What about the parents? : Sleep quality, mood, saliva cortisol response and sense of coherence in parents with a child admitted to pediatric care

“…This has been described previously by parents (Stremler et al, 2011) and nurses (Grossman et al, 2017, Stremler et al, 2015. Vital sign checks and treatment are important in the care for the child, but noise from nurses talking in the corridor and slamming doors could be avoided.…”

“…A child's disease symptoms or medical management influence sleep for both the child and the parents, which might have an impact on family functioning (Meltzer and Montgomery-Downs, 2011). In Stremler et al (2011), parents stated that uncertainty and worry over their child's health, changes in their child's condition, and lack of knowledge of their child's health influenced their sleep. These points were also made in our studies, particularly among the parents in NICU.…”

“…Other studies report that parents might have indecisions about staying overnight in the hospital with their ill child or not (Stremler et al, 2011, Foster et al, 2017. To stay and keep watch over their child and their child's care prevents good parental sleep for some parents (Stremler et al, 2011), while others struggle with meeting the demands of life and family outside the hospital (Foster et al, 2017).…”

“…Other studies report that parents might have indecisions about staying overnight in the hospital with their ill child or not (Stremler et al, 2011, Foster et al, 2017. To stay and keep watch over their child and their child's care prevents good parental sleep for some parents (Stremler et al, 2011), while others struggle with meeting the demands of life and family outside the hospital (Foster et al, 2017). When a child is admitted to hospital the pediatric nurse should make an assessment when meeting the parents to see if a self-care and a dependent care system is in progress; otherwise, the care requisites should be met by the nursing staff (Orem, 2001).…”

“…Privacy was considered an important factor affecting sleep for the parents. The need for integrity and privacy in hospital has been expressed previously in qualitative studies by both parents (Stremler et al, 2011) and children (Schalkers et al, 2015). In Meltzer et al (2012), 43% of the families in pediatric wards shared a room with another patient, and reported that roommates making noises interfered with sleep.…”