Do Parents Want to Be Present During Invasive Procedures Performed on Their Children in the Emergency Department? A Survey of 400 Parents

doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(99)70274-X

Annals of Emergency Medicine

Volume 34, Issue 1, July 1999, Pages 70-74

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, Chicago, IL, May 1998.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-0644(99)70274-X Get rights and content

Abstract

Study Objectives: No large study has addressed whether parents want to be present when invasive procedures are performed on their children in the emergency department. We conducted a survey to address this question. Methods: The study used a self-administered, written survey consisting of 5 pediatric scenarios with increasing level of procedural invasiveness. Parents in an urban, teaching hospital ED waiting area were asked to participate. Results: Of 407 persons asked to participate, 400 (98%) completed the survey. The number of parents expressing a desire to be present during a procedure performed on their child was 387 (97.5%) for venipuncture of the extremity, 375 (94.0%) for laceration repair, 341 (86.5%) for lumbar puncture, and 317 (80.9%) for endotracheal intubation. For a major resuscitation scenario, 316 (80.7%) wished to be present if their child were conscious during the resuscitation, 277 (71.4%) wanted to be present if their child were unconscious during the resuscitation, whereas 322 (83.4%) indicated a desire to be present if their child were likely to die during the resuscitation. Of the 400, 261 (65.3%) wished to be present for all 5 scenarios. Only 26 (6.5%) wanted the physician to determine parental presence in all 5 scenarios. Conclusion: Most parents surveyed would want to be present when invasive procedures are performed on their children. With increasing procedural invasiveness, parental desire to be present decreased. However, most parents would want to be in attendance if their child were likely to die, and nearly all parents want to participate in the decision about their presence. [Boie ET, Moore GP, Brummett C, Nelson DR: Do parents want to be present during invasive procedures performed on their children in the emergency department? A survey of 400 parents. Ann Emerg Med July 1999;34:70-74.]

Section snippets

INTRODUCTION

There has been growing interest in the feasibility of allowing parents to be present when procedures are performed on their children in the emergency department. The concept itself is not new. Both surveys and observational studies have shown that majorities of parents prefer to stay with their children during procedures occurring in EDs.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 We are unaware, however, of any study that has simultaneously addressed parental presence during pediatric procedures of graded invasiveness in a

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was completed in the ED waiting area of a central-city, teaching hospital with 80,000 annual visits, 30,000 of which are pediatric. During a 10-week period from June to August 1997, a single research assistant approached potential participants in the ED waiting area, ascertained if they were parents, and asked them to participate in an anonymous, self-administered written survey. Any parent could complete the survey, regardless of age of the parent or ages of their children.

RESULTS

Of 407 eligible parents, 400 (98%) completed the survey. A demographic profile of the participants is provided in Table 1.

. Demographic characteristics of parents.

Characteristic	No. (%)
Age (y)	Median: 37 (Range: 17–76)
Gender: Female	296 (74.6)
Race
African-American	120 (31.0)
Asian-American	1 (.3)
Caucasian	256 (66.0)
Hispanic	2 (.5)
Native-American	6 (1.5)
Other	3 (.8)
Employment status
Employed	300 (75.6)
Unemployed	88 (22.2)
Retired	5 (1.5)
Other	3 (.8)
Level of education completed
Grade school	8 (2.0)
High School	219

DISCUSSION

Although the concept of parental presence during procedures performed on their children in the ED is not new,2, 3, 4, 5 no large study had previously attempted to assess parental desire to be present during procedures of increasing invasiveness, with intentional inclusion of a major resuscitation scenario.

Previous studies have suggested that parents want to be present when procedures are performed on their children. Bauchner et al² surveyed 253 parents and found that 78% indicated they would

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There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

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Do Parents Want to Be Present During Invasive Procedures Performed on Their Children in the Emergency Department? A Survey of 400 Parents☆,☆☆,★,★★

Abstract

Section snippets

INTRODUCTION

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

J Clin Anesth

The pediatric emergency ward—Do mothers want to stay?

S Afr Med J

Pediatric procedures: Do parents want to watch?

Pediatrics

Parental presence during procedures in an emergency room: Results from 50 observations

Pediatrics

Family member presence during pediatric emergency department procedures

Pediatr Emerg Care

Parents and procedures: A randomized controlled trial

Pediatrics