Parental presence in the pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

Background. Currently, parental presence at the bedside of critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a necessary family-oriented condition. In the published sources, there is enough evidence that shows the special emotional state of parents, their complex interactions with the medical staff of the PICU, as well as the attitude of doctors and nurses to parental presence in the department, especially during the manipulation on patients. In Ukraine, only in some pediatric medical centers parents were allowed to visit their children in the PICU, but permanent stay at the patient’s bedside was not allowed. In 2016, the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 592 “On the approval of the Procedure for the admission of visitors to patients undergoing inpatient treatment in the intensive care unit” determined the procedure and rules for the admission of visitors to a patient who was in the intensive care unit. However, this Order established only rules for the admission of visitors to adult patients undergoing inpatient treatment in the intensive care units. The purpose of the work is to consider various strategic directions for ensuring access of parents to their sick children in the PICU and try to adapt some issues to the current state of our pediatric intensive care. Results. The article discusses issues such as the ethical and practical situation regarding the visiting and presence of parents at the bedside of a critically ill child in the PICU. The concepts of “visiting” or “presence” are considered, and the conditions are defined when parents can only visit, and when they can stay at the bedside of a sick child for a long time; the possibility of their presence during manipulations and procedures; the role of doctors and nurses in communicating with parents in the intensive care unit and the impact on their emotional state. Conclusions. Given the real need for parents to be present and visit their children in the intensive care unit, we must be careful and prudent in making this decision. You can face a lot of problems and inconveniences, but you must strive to change the established principles, because the presence of fa­mily members, their participation in providing assistance to children will improve the psychological environment in the intensive care unit and increase the humaneness of the work of its medical staff.

Keywords

• presence
• parents
• critically ill children
• pediatric intensive care unit