The participation of parents in the care of their children in the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Introduction: The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) environment can be overwhelming for parents and their hospitalized children. The role of the primary caregiver may be altered by the child’s need for advanced care provided by ICU staff. This
can lead to high levels of stress, depression and anxiety in parents, but also have a negative impact on the physical
and psycho-emotional development of children.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of parental involvement in the care of their children hospitalized in ICU.
Methodology: Systematic review of the literature using keywords: “pediatric intensive care units, family centered
care, family centered rounds, parents, presence”, in international bibliographic databases (Medline, PubMed, Scopus,
Cochrane Library) as well as synonyms and combination of terms. The PICOTS (Population, Intervention, Comparator,
Outcome, Timing, Setting) process was used as an evaluative criterion for the inclusion of articles in the study. The
inclusion criteria of the articles in the study were: to concern studies in newborns and/or infants and/or children hospitalized in ICU, to be published from 2010-2022, to concern studies reporting at least one outcome, and to involve
quantitative, prospective, observational or qualitative studies.
Results: The results of the studies showed that family-centered care (FCC) and family-centered rounds (FCR) have a
positive effect on newborns and children hospitalized in the ICU as parents are more involved in their care, but also in
health professionals, despite differences that exist.
Conclusions: The participation of parents in the care of children hospitalized in pediatric and neonatal ICUs has a
positive effect on the care of children, on the parents themselves and on health professionals.