Sök artiklar i SveMed+

Tidskrift

Sammanfattning

Each year approximately 40, 000 Danish children aged 0-18 years experience hospitalisation of their mother or father with a critical illness. There are no official guidelines in respect of how healthcare personnel may best support these children and their hospitalised parents. Consequently, the project ?Care" -launched by Kræftens Bekæmpelse included a study addressing the follow-ing issues:1) How do healthcare personnel manage children as relatives - and what is the experience of their hospitalised parents" 2) What challenges do healthcare personnel face in their encounters with children as relatives" 3) What do healthcare personnel need - in order to be able to do more for these children" The study method involved field work on one intensive care unit and two haematological oncology units, including observation and interview of doctors, nurses and patients, as well as interviews with a panel of 12 experienced healthcare professionals working in the area of children as the relatives of the critically ill or dying. The study shows that healthcare personnel sometimes feel ill equipped in their encounters with children and their sick parents. They also disagree over the degree of children's involvement and the role of healthcare personnel in dealings with children and their families. The study recommends the establishment of evidence-based guidelines in respect of encounters between healthcare personnel and the children of sick relative, increased training and supervision, and that cooperation between the various sectors be enhanced and described.

MeSH