The voices of parents whose children hospitalized with chronic kidney disease: A qualitative study
Abstract Background Parents play an important role in the treatment of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and their dissatisfaction may result in negative impacts on children’s health outcomes as well as their medical treatment. Thus, exploring parents' experience and identifying and addressing challenging issues could be helpful in managing the patients’ chronic conditions during their hospitalization. This study aimed to explore parents’ experiences during the hospitalization of their children with CKD. Methods This study was a qualitative study with the content analysis approach. Participants were 15 parents of children with CKD who were selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected using in-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results Two overarching categories of “improper behavior of personnel” and “unprofessional performance of personnel” were extracted from the data. The first category included sub-categories of ‘staff aggression’ and ‘staff indifference’. ‘Disturbed interaction’, ‘poor patient care, and ‘poor skills of personnel’ were considered as the sub-categories of "unprofessional performance of personnel". Conclusion The results indicated that improper behavior and unprofessional performance of the healthcare personnel can intensify the child’s and parents’ problems, and make it more difficult for them to deal with these difficulties. The medical team can significantly help parents by establishing appropriate communication and behavior, providing them the required information about their child’s disease and the necessary care to mitigate or eliminate their problems. Also, health care authorities can develop and implement educational and practical guidelines for healthcare personnel to improve their knowledge and skills.