Parents' priorities and satisfaction with acute pediatric care.

OBJECTIVE To identify parents' priorities and satisfaction in relation to pediatric care to assess nurses' and physicians' ability to provide care and treatment that fulfill parents' needs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The study took place in the pediatric ward of a regional hospital in Denmark. It included 300 parents of children admitted for acute care, and the data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. After admission, parents were asked about priorities. After discharge from the hospital, parents were asked to report their level of satisfaction with the elements of care they had received during their stay. RESULTS A total of 253 questionnaires were returned for the first section (a response rate of 84%), and 170 questionnaires were returned for the second section (response rate of 67%). The greatest gap between priorities and satisfaction was in the waiting time related to admission, waiting time related to fulfillment of the child's needs, and information given about care and treatment. Parents were most satisfied with the nurses' behavior; however, physicians' performance was given the highest priority score. CONCLUSIONS Parents' priorities and assessments of inpatient pediatric care rest heavily on the communication between physicians and parents. The present study pointed to the need for improved and clearer communication. In addition, the poor performance with regard to waiting time indicates that this is a major area for improvement.