Parental presence during invasive procedures in a Spanish pediatric emergency department: incidence, perspectives, and related anxiety

Background Family presence during invasive procedures (IPs) is infrequent in Spanish pediatric emergency departments (PEDs), despite the benefits of family presence. Objectives To investigate the proportion of relatives who wish to be present during IP, to determine the percentage of relatives who stayed during IP in our PED, and to evaluate parental anxiety. Methods A prospective observational study was carried out in a PED of an urban, tertiary-care university-affiliated hospital in Barcelona (Spain). A written survey was given to the relatives of children who were admitted to the PED during the month of November 2009. Results Of the 365 given questionnaires, 213 (58.4%) were completed. Ninety-nine percent of surveys were answered by the parents. Mean age of respondents was 37 years (74.6% were women). IPs were performed on 73.3% of patients, and 97.4% of IPs were performed in the presence of relatives. Parents were present during blood sampling (98%), urethral catheterizations (97%), lumbar punctures (LP; 72%), simple wound repair (62%), and fracture reductions (37%). Parents wanted to stay during blood sampling (98%), urethral catheterization (89.9%), LP (82.4%), simple wound repair (88.6%), and fracture reduction (86.5%). Respondents (51.6%) believed that parents should decide on their own whether their presence was desirable. Parents were least anxious during blood sampling and were most nervous during LP. Conclusion Most of the parents wish to stay beside their children during IPs. In our PED, parents were present for more than 95% of IPs. The more invasive the procedure is, the more anxious parents feel. European Journal of Emergency Medicine 18: 202-207 (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.