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The experiences of parents and nurses of hospitalised infants requiring oxygen therapy for severe bronchiolitis : A phenomenological study
Peeler, Alison Fulbrook, Paul Kildea, Susan
Peeler, Alison
Fulbrook, Paul
Kildea, Susan
Abstract
Bronchiolitis is a major cause of children’s admission to hospital. The study aim was to describe the experiences of parents who had, or nurses who cared for, a child admitted to hospital for severe bronchiolitis requiring oxygen therapy. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to interview 12 mothers and 12 nurses. The findings were clustered into three domains: fear, parent–child interaction and technical caring. The mothers found the experience to be extremely frightening, based on their fear that their child could die. This was compounded by their lack of knowledge and understanding about what was happening and their inability to fulfil their mothering role. Although nurses recognised that parents were anxious, they did not seem to appreciate fully the depth of fear and emotion that mothers were experiencing and tended to describe procedural aspects of their role. The mothers’ relationship with their child was focused upon physical contact and the desire to comfort their child. Their ability to do so was significantly impacted upon by the method of oxygen delivery to their child. For nurses, although they recognised the psychosocial dimension, their emphasis was on health and safety aspects of oxygen therapy, both for the child and themselves.
Keywords
Date
2015
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Child Health Care
Book
Volume
19
Issue
2
Page Range
216-228
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled