Nurses' experiences of the hospitalisation of their own children for acute illnesses.

BACKGROUND

The hospitalisation of a child is a stressful event for parents. Parents who are also nurses may face additional challenges not encountered by other parents; yet, scant attention has been given to this issue in the literature.

AIM

To explore the experiences of Nurse-Parents whose children were hospitalised for acute illnesses.

METHODS/DESIGN: Using a case-study design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six registered nurses and thematically analysed.

RESULTS/FINDINGS: Nurse-Parents experienced significant conflicts between their parental role and nurse persona as they were 'torn between dual roles'. Nurse-Parents' specialised knowledge prompted them to elevate the care their child needed, leading to increased stress and anxiety as they struggled to balance these roles.

CONCLUSION

Nurse-Parents want and need a different type of input into their children's care than non-nurse-parents. An increased awareness among healthcare professionals is the first step to ensuring that effective and individualised support is provided to Nurse-Parents.