Parental presence during pediatric emergency procedures: finding answers in an Asian context

OBJECTIVE: The practice of allowing parental presence during invasive procedures in children varies depending on setting and individual provider preference. We aim to understand the attitudes, preferences, and practices of physicians and nurses with regard to parental presence during invasive pediatric emergency procedures in an Asian cultural context.METHODS: We surveyed physicians and nurses in the pediatric emergency department of a large tertiary hospital using separate self-administered questionnaires over three months. The data collected included the demographics and clinical experience of interview respondents. Each provider was asked about their attitude and preference regarding parental presence during specific invasive procedures.RESULTS: We surveyed 90 physicians and 107 nurses. Most physicians in our context preferred to perform pediatric emergency procedures without parental presence (82, 91.1%). Forty physicians (44.4%) reported that parental presence slowed down procedures, while 75 (83.3%) felt it increased provider stress. Most physicians made the decision to allow parents into the procedure room based on parental attitude (69, 76.7%) and the child's level of cooperation (64, 71.1%). Most nurses concurred that parental presence would add to provider stress during procedures (69, 64.5%). We did not find a significant relationship between provider experience (P=0.26) or age (P=0.50) and preference for parental presence.CONCLUSION: In our cultural context, most physicians and nurses prefer to perform procedures for children in the absence of parents. We propose that this can be changed by health professional training with role play and simulation, adequate supervision by experienced physicians, and clear communication with parents.

Understanding decisions leading to nonurgent visits to the paediatric emergency department: caregivers' perspectives

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>A significant percentage of paediatric emergency department (ED) attendances worldwide are nonurgent, adversely affecting patient outcomes and healthcare systems. This study aimed to understand the reasons behind nonurgent ED visits, in order to develop targeted and effective preventive interventions.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In-depth interviews were conducted with 49 caregivers to identify the decision-making factors related to taking children to the ED of KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore. Interviews were carried out in the emergency room of the hospital after the children had been diagnosed with nonurgent conditions by the attending physician. Interview transcripts were analysed based on grounded theory principles.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The demographics of our study cohort were representative of the target population. The main reasons given by the caregivers for attending paediatric EDs included perceived severity of the child's symptoms, availability of after-hours care, perceived advantage of a paediatric specialist hospital and mistrust of primary care physicians' ability to manage paediatric conditions. Insurance or welfare was a contributing factor for only a small portion of caregivers.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The reasons provided by Singaporean caregivers for attending paediatric EDs were similar to those reported in studies conducted in Western countries. However, the former group had a unique understanding of the local healthcare system. The study's findings may be used to develop interventions to change the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of caregivers in Singapore.</p>