Skip to main content

Some Parents of Children in Pediatric EDs Report Unmet Emotional Needs

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 14, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14, 2024 -- Three in 10 caregivers of a child seen in a pediatric emergency department have unmet emotional needs, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in PLOS ONE.

Samina Ali, M.D., from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues surveyed 2,005 caregivers of children presenting to a pediatric emergency department (October 2018 to March 2020) to understand the extent to which caregivers’ emotional and communication needs were met during the emergency visit.

The researchers found that 71.7 percent of caregivers felt their emotional needs were met. Most (86.4 percent) identified communication with the doctor as good/very good, as did 83.4 percent for communication with their child’s nurse. Similarly, most participants rated caregiver involvement in their child’s care as good/very good (85.6 percent). Eight in 10 participants (81.8 percent) felt comfortable in caring for their child at home at the time of discharge. Meeting caregiver emotional needs and increased caregiver comfort in caring for their child’s illness at home were associated with lower caregiver anxiety scores, caregiver involvement in their child’s care, satisfactory updates, and having questions adequately addressed.

"I think these results are going to be very persuasive for decision-makers in health-care institutions to help them make resource allocations and to design additional services and support for families," coauthor Shannon Scott, R.N., Ph.D., also from the University of Alberta, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted February 2024

Read this next

First Responders With More Debris Exposure Have Higher Risk of Early Dementia

FRIDAY, June 14, 2024 -- More severe exposure to dust or debris among World Trade Center (WTC) responders is significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia at <65...

1990 to 2019 Saw Increase in Life Expectancy in Seniors With T1DM

FRIDAY, June 14, 2024 -- From 1990 to 2019, there was an increase in life expectancy in older people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), according to a study published online...

Second Tumors Are Rare After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy

FRIDAY, June 14, 2024 -- Second tumors are rarely seen after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a study published in the June 13 issue of the New England...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.