Parents have significant responsibility in the care of their critically ill children who have been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). When staying with their children in the hospital, they also have particular needs that should be adequately acknowledged and responded to by healthcare providers. Moreover, when their needs are not identified and addressed, parents may experience stress and anxiety as a result. This study describes the needs of parents caring for hospitalized critically ill children, as perceived by parents and nurses. This study used a descriptive qualitative research design. Five focus group discussions with nurses and parents of critically ill children, who were purposefully recruited, were conducted at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre Hospital. A qualitative content analysis guided the analysis of the data. Two themes emerged from the perceptions of parents and nurses about the needs of parents caring for hospitalized critically ill children. These were: “engaging parents in the care of their children” and “receiving psychosocial support”. Both parents and nurses identified the importance of providing adequate information about their children’s progress, encouraging and involving parents in the care of their children and having flexible visiting time for parents was vital when caring for critically ill children. This study provides an in-depth understanding of parents’ needs when caring for critically ill children in the hospital setting. Nurses caring for these children should understand the needs of parents and integrate the parents into the daily care of their children. Nurses should also continuously support, inform and engage parents during child-caring procedures. Finally, visiting times for intensive care units should be flexible and allow more time for parents to connect with their hospitalized children.

中文翻译：

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父母和护士讲述他们的故事：坦桑尼亚乞力马扎罗基督教医疗中心照顾重症儿童的父母的感知需求

父母在照顾住进重症监护室 (ICU) 的重病儿童方面负有重大责任。与孩子一起住院时，他们也有特殊的需求，医疗保健提供者应充分承认和响应。此外，当他们的需求没有被识别和解决时，父母可能会因此而感到压力和焦虑。本研究描述了父母和护士所认为的照顾住院重症儿童的父母的需求。本研究采用描述性定性研究设计。在乞力马扎罗基督教医疗中心医院与有意招募的重症儿童的护士和父母进行了五次焦点小组讨论。定性内容分析指导数据分析。父母和护士对照顾住院重症儿童的父母的需求产生了两个主题。它们是：“让父母照顾他们的孩子”和“接受心理社会支持”。父母和护士都认为，在照顾危重儿童时，提供充分的关于孩子进步的信息、鼓励和让父母参与照顾孩子以及为父母提供灵活的探视时间至关重要。这项研究深入了解了父母在医院照顾重症儿童时的需求。照顾这些孩子的护士应该了解父母的需求，并将父母融入孩子的日常护理中。护士也应该持续支持，在育儿过程中告知父母并让他们参与其中。最后，重症监护病房的探视时间应该灵活，让父母有更多时间与住院的孩子联系。