Experiences of nurses in pediatric wards: Nurses’ perceptions of interaction with parents

Abstract

 This study aimed to describe nurses’ experiences in the pediatric ward by focusing on their perceptions of interaction with parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurses. An inductive qualitative method was used to analyze the interview data, and a total of 16 categories were extracted, including: 【Feeling impressions of parents based on the daily situation】,【Feeling the psychological distance from parents based on the manner of speaking and eye contact】,【Thinking about the parents and what I will do for parents】,【Swaying between own role as a nurse and own feelings】,【Recognizing own characteristics】,【Modifying behavior to support parents and children】,【Changing the way I interact according to my psychological distance to parents】,【Sharing feelings with parents】. Nurses perceived mixed feelings and recognized their characteristics in nursing through repeatedly interacting with parents. This finding suggested that nurses had an inevitable subjectivity in consideration of parents. Their subjectivity seem to be related to nursing practice in the pediatric ward.