Using focus groups to explore the views of parents whose children are in hospital

Abstract

Parents of children in hospital were invited to attend focus group discussions to give their views on: the experience of attending hospital with their children; information provision; facilities; and relationships with staff. The aim of the study was to inform an action plan to identify good practice and improve aspects of service delivery identified as of concern to parents. Themes identified from recorded discussions of 15 parents in four sessions were categorised as: They should be listening to parents; Stress of staying with their child; Feeling safe; Waiting; Parents as partners in care. Actions were planned to address physical aspects of care, such as provision of parent information, and staff to care for parents waiting with their child. Cultural aspects of care were addressed, as well as the invisible aspects of caring for children and their parents including attitudes and communication. The research indicates that parents appreciate the opportunity to tell their story and supports the idea of holding focus groups in the future.

Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients: Their Parents’ Perceptions of the Hospital Experience

“…Similar findings have been achieved using small n (20) qualitative studies (Diaz-Caneja, Gledhill, Weaver, Nadel, & Garralda, 2005). Other factors influencing the experience of parents have been identified as waiting, the degree to which parents felt listened to, and physical aspects of care and the care environment (Teare & Smith, 2004).…”

Focus Group Interviews in Child, Youth, and Parent Research: An Integrative Literature Review

“…-Avoid evenings, prefer Saturdays (Kennedy et al, 2001) -Afternoons, after school (Visagie, Loxton, Stallard, & Silverman, 2017) (continued) (Teare & Smith, 2004) -Arrange for caretaker to stay with the child (Teare & Smith, 2004) -Allow children to remain near their parents during the focus group (Baker-Henningham, 2011)…”

The importance of parental support when caring for the acutely ill child

“…Fisher (1994) also considered the age and gender of parents in relation to their needs; some variation was identified in that older parents, those over 30, gave more importance to being able to support their child, while younger parents needed more information on what exactly was being done and to have some private time with the child. With regard to gender, she established that parents had similar needs, hope, rationale for treatment, knowledge of prognosis, knowledge of child's comfort, and that they could be heard by their child, elements also supported by Amico and Davidhizar (1994) and Teare and Smith (2004). Nevertheless, needs of fathers were more focused on factual elements, while mothers’ needs were focused more on the emotional requirements of their child.…”

“…The need for parents to regain normality for their children or be with them when they are vulnerable and exposed to new and uncertain elements is demonstrated in a study by Teare and Smith (2004). They attempted to use focus groups to explore the views of parents with children in hospital.…”