Parental evaluation of processes of care in relation to the child, parent and family characteristics

Abstract

The Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) is a questionnaire for parents used to evaluate the behaviours of healthcare providers. We applied its 20-item version (MPOC-20) to explore the associations between parental evaluation of processes of care and child, parent and family characteristics in Slovenia. A novelty of our approach was the emphasis on the role of a key person. Parents of 235 children who were admitted as inpatients or outpatients of six institutions (hospitals and health centres) because of chronic illness or disability participated in the study. Parents were asked to fill in a general questionnaire on several characteristics of the child, child's health problems, the family and the therapy programmes, and MPOC-20. Univariate associations of the five MPOC-20 scale scores with child, parent and family characteristics were tested first. Multiple linear regression was used for modelling scale scores in relation to child, parent and family characteristics. The analyses singled out availability of a key person as the factor most consistently and unequivocally influencing parental satisfaction. We also found a general positive effect of male sex of the child on the MPOC-20 scores. Neither the present age of children nor age at the onset of health problems was found to be associated with MPOC-20 scores. We found no notable association of the number of health problems with the MPOC-20 scores, but observed clear differences when comparing parental satisfaction with processes of care between different participating institutions.

When children with profound multiple disabilities are hospitalized: A cross‐sectional survey of parental burden of care, quality of life of parents and their hospitalized children, and satisfaction with family‐centered care

“…For parents, being able to trust in their hospitalized children's well‐being and safety is vital: it would allow them the opportunity to acquire advanced home care skills or to take breaks while leaving the children in the care of the healthcare team. The complexity of these children's healthcare needs and their frequent hospitalization necessitate a care management strategy that offers both multidisciplinary care coordination and shared care management (Groleger Srsen et al., ; Peter et al., ). High‐quality nursing of children with PIMD requires specialized skills, continuity of care and treatment, and a strong commitment to the principles of family‐centered care as provided by dedicated nurses with advanced practice backgrounds (Looman et al., ).…”

“…Other parents expressed a need for continuity in care and to better understand the care processes taking place in order to manage the hospitalization of the children (Capjon & Bjork, ; Graham, Pemstein, & Curley, ). Also, Groleger Srsen, Vidmar, Socan, and Zupan () showed that the availability of a care coordinator could have a positive influence on parental satisfaction with health care service.…”

Effectiveness of a nurse‐led preadmission intervention for parents of children with profound multiple disabilities undergoing hip‐joint surgery: A quasi‐experimental pilot study

“…These points, combined with the healthcare needs of this pediatric population, underscore the benefits of a care coordinator being made available, as recommended by Groleger Srsen et al. (). Moreover, nurses and other health professionals working with these families need to be knowledgeable, experienced, and comfortable to work with children with PIMDs in order to build a positive relationship with the children and to advocate for them (Aston et al., ).…”

“…These difficulties with coordination and communication are increasingly widespread and are of particular concern in children with high degrees of medical complexity (Russell & Simon, 2014). For these children and their parents, the availability of a care coordinator has been shown to positively influence parental satisfaction with healthcare service and to significantly reduce utilization of healthcare services and costs (Groleger Srsen, Vidmar, Socan, & Zupan, 2014;Peter et al, 2011).…”

Validity, internal consistency reliability and one‐year stability of the Slovene translation of the Measure of Processes of Care (20‐item version)

“…Because of space limitations, we address these issues extensively in a subsequent paper (Groleger Sršen et al . ).…”