Parents’ experience in taking care of critically ill children while hospitalisation

Abstract The objective of study is to explore the experiences of parents taking care of their critically ill child at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the Malaysian hospital. A total of ten parents were interviewed and selected for purposive sampling. The data was analysed using a thematic analysis based on the Colaizzi's approach. The study identified four emerging themes from data that included participation in care, participation in decision-making, challenges and coping mechanisms throughout the child's hospitalisation. Parents have emphasised the importance of their participation in the care and decision-making of their child. They also have their own coping mechanisms that would make their journey less traumatic. Nurses need to enhance their communication skills and improve nurse-parent relationships.