Children with medical complexity in the emergency department: Parent experiences and information needs

• Author / Creator

  Lysak, Danielle M

• When your child needs emergency health care, as a parent, you typically drop what you are doing and drive to the hospital or call 911. For parents of children with medical complexity, an emergency department visit is more often a calculated decision after exhausting all other options- it has been described as “the last resort”. Children with complex medical needs constitute a growing number of pediatric patients that utilize the emergency department, disproportionately more than children outside of this category. Parents of these children are often the key source of information, lead care coordinators for their child, and best understand their specific clinical signs predictive of decompensation. The unique challenges these parents face when accessing emergency healthcare are highlighted in this study and their expertise in their child reinforced. The objective of this patient-oriented study is to explore information needs and experiences of parents accessing emergency health care for their child with medical complexity. The first chapter of this paper-based thesis provides context as to why further exploration into experiences of parents of this pediatric population is warranted. The second chapter houses the manuscript that will be prepared for consideration for journal publication, post-defense. The final chapter presents a general discussion of the study and its implications for nursing and future study. Our findings from the parent interviews yielded valuable insight to inform a future knowledge translation tool to improve outcomes for these children and their parents accessing the emergency department healthcare. A qualitative approach to understanding the experiences and information needs of this population successfully demonstrated the priorities and perspectives of the families who access our healthcare system the most.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Children with Medical Complexity
  • Parents
  • Emergency Department

• Graduation date

  Spring 2024

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Nursing

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-nqnt-9b06

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.