The participation of parents in the care of their children in the Intensive Care Unit

Introduction: The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) environment can be overwhelming for parents and their hospitalized chil- dren. The role of the primary caregiver may be altered by the child’s need for advanced care provided by ICU staff. This can lead to high levels of stress, depression and anxiety in parents, but also have a negative impact on the physical and psycho-emotional development of children.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of parental involvement in the care of their children hospi- talized in ICU.

Methodology: Systematic review of the literature using keywords: “pediatric intensive care units, family centered care, family centered rounds, parents, presence”, in international bibliographic databases (Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library) as well as synonyms and combination of terms. The PICOTS (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, Timing, Setting) process was used as an evaluative criterion for the inclusion of articles in the study. The inclusion criteria of the articles in the study were: to concern studies in newborns and/or infants and/or children hos- pitalized in ICU, to be published from 2010-2022, to concern studies reporting at least one outcome, and to involve quantitative, prospective, observational or qualitative studies.

Results: The results of the studies showed that family-centered care (FCC) and family-centered rounds (FCR) have a positive effect on newborns and children hospitalized in the ICU as parents are more involved in their care, but also in health professionals, despite differences that exist.

Conclusions: The participation of parents in the care of children hospitalized in pediatric and neonatal ICUs has a positive effect on the care of children, on the parents themselves and on health professionals.