Parents' satisfaction concerning their child's hospital care

Aim: To explore parents' satisfaction concerning their child's care during hospitalization and its determinants. Methods: A descriptive, non-experimental correlational design was used. The data collection was based on interviews using a 63 item questionnaire, the Swedish Pyramid Questionnaire. The parents of 206 children (hospitalized in two pediatric and two surgical units) participated in the study. Results: The independent t-test results demonstrated that the parents showed greater satisfaction with staff attitudes and medical treatment, whereas they were less satisfied with the information concerning routines and the staff work environment. The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that adequacy of care, adequate pain management, parents' involvement in care, a trusting relationship, and staff attitudes were the most important determinants of parental satisfaction. Conclusion: Interventions in pediatric care should include measurements of parental and child satisfaction as a tool to assess the quality of care.