Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia

<b>Introduction</b>: Hospitalization of children creates significant emotional and psychological stress for parents, highlighting the importance of addressing their needs in pediatric care settings. <b>Aims</b>: This study examines the perceptions of both parents and pediatri...

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Main Authors: Hawa Alabdulaziz, Malak Alharthi, Sara Alhazmi, Alyaa Hawsawi, Shahad Almuhyawi, Zahra Almalki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Children
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/947
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author Hawa Alabdulaziz
Malak Alharthi
Sara Alhazmi
Alyaa Hawsawi
Shahad Almuhyawi
Zahra Almalki
author_facet Hawa Alabdulaziz
Malak Alharthi
Sara Alhazmi
Alyaa Hawsawi
Shahad Almuhyawi
Zahra Almalki
author_sort Hawa Alabdulaziz
collection DOAJ
description <b>Introduction</b>: Hospitalization of children creates significant emotional and psychological stress for parents, highlighting the importance of addressing their needs in pediatric care settings. <b>Aims</b>: This study examines the perceptions of both parents and pediatric nurses regarding the needs of hospitalized children. <b>Method</b>: A cross-sectional survey using the validated Needs of Parents of Hospitalized Children (NPQ) was administered to 218 parents and 218 pediatric nurses in four hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Key domains assessed included trust, information, and support. Group differences were evaluated using non-parametric statistical analyses. <b>Results</b>: Trust was prioritized more by parents (83.9%) than nurses (72.4%) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Both groups deemed information important, but parents (87.2%) rated it as more necessary than nurses (74.1%) (<i>p</i> = 0.02). Parents (79.8%) expressed a greater need for support compared to nurses (67.3%) (<i>p</i> = 0.03). <b>Conclusions</b>: This study identified perceptual differences between parents and nurses regarding trust, communication, and support. Some differences were statistically significant at the <i>p</i> < 0.01 level, while others were suggestive (<i>p</i>-value between 0.01 and 0.05) and require further investigation. These disparities suggest a need to foster mutual understanding and improve communication practices to better align healthcare delivery with family expectations and strengthen family-centered care.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-bae1c8f59e2f4b42bf238682f7fec7be2025-08-20T03:58:26ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672025-07-0112794710.3390/children12070947Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi ArabiaHawa Alabdulaziz0Malak Alharthi1Sara Alhazmi2Alyaa Hawsawi3Shahad Almuhyawi4Zahra Almalki5Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 24828, Jeddah 21551, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 24828, Jeddah 21551, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 24828, Jeddah 21551, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 24828, Jeddah 21551, Saudi ArabiaDr. Suliman Al-Habib Hospital, P.O. Box 8929, Jeddah 22245, Saudi ArabiaMaternity and Children’s Hospital, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 13877, Jeddah 21414, Saudi Arabia<b>Introduction</b>: Hospitalization of children creates significant emotional and psychological stress for parents, highlighting the importance of addressing their needs in pediatric care settings. <b>Aims</b>: This study examines the perceptions of both parents and pediatric nurses regarding the needs of hospitalized children. <b>Method</b>: A cross-sectional survey using the validated Needs of Parents of Hospitalized Children (NPQ) was administered to 218 parents and 218 pediatric nurses in four hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Key domains assessed included trust, information, and support. Group differences were evaluated using non-parametric statistical analyses. <b>Results</b>: Trust was prioritized more by parents (83.9%) than nurses (72.4%) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Both groups deemed information important, but parents (87.2%) rated it as more necessary than nurses (74.1%) (<i>p</i> = 0.02). Parents (79.8%) expressed a greater need for support compared to nurses (67.3%) (<i>p</i> = 0.03). <b>Conclusions</b>: This study identified perceptual differences between parents and nurses regarding trust, communication, and support. Some differences were statistically significant at the <i>p</i> < 0.01 level, while others were suggestive (<i>p</i>-value between 0.01 and 0.05) and require further investigation. These disparities suggest a need to foster mutual understanding and improve communication practices to better align healthcare delivery with family expectations and strengthen family-centered care.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/947hospitalized childrenneed of parentsfamily-centered careSaudi Arabiapediatric nurses
spellingShingle Hawa Alabdulaziz
Malak Alharthi
Sara Alhazmi
Alyaa Hawsawi
Shahad Almuhyawi
Zahra Almalki
Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia
Children
hospitalized children
need of parents
family-centered care
Saudi Arabia
pediatric nurses
title Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia
title_full Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia
title_fullStr Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia
title_full_unstemmed Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia
title_short Perceptions of Parental Needs in General Pediatric Inpatient Units: A Comparative Study Between Nurses and Parents in Saudi Arabia
title_sort perceptions of parental needs in general pediatric inpatient units a comparative study between nurses and parents in saudi arabia
topic hospitalized children
need of parents
family-centered care
Saudi Arabia
pediatric nurses
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/7/947
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