Parent Experiences During Child Hospitalization in an International Cohort: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Guided by Family-Centered Care Principles and the Socio-Ecological Model

A child’s hospitalization can be a major crisis for parents, and is influenced by individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal factors. This study aimed to characterize the experiences of a large international cohort of parents of hospitalized children. Within a longitudinal 14-country study, parents ≥ 18 years staying at a nearby Ronald McDonald House® during their child’s hospitalization completed surveys about their family’s socio-demographics and hospital experience. Free-text comments were analyzed using qualitative methods, guided by family-centered care (FCC) principles and the socio-ecological model (SEM). Results were based on 2,510 of 3,350 (75%) participants who provided comments. Parents described needs and gaps in services across all dimensions of the SEM. Parents also described their sources of strength, valued services, and recommendations for support during pediatric hospitalization across FCC and SEM dimensions. In conclusion, this analysis of parents’ experiences revealed common challenges faced by families of hospitalized children globally and can guide policies and practices to innovate and scale hospital, community, and societal services to reduce the burden of pediatric hospitalization on parents, families, and communities.