Factors Involved in Decision-Making Dilemmas Faced by Parents of Children with Severe Asthma in PICU During the Development of Discharge Care Plans: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the complicated decision-making dilemma and challenges confronted by parents of children suffering from severe asthma within the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) when participating in the development of their children’s discharge care plans.

Patients and Methods

Employing a phenomenological methodology, a purposive sampling was performed to engage with 17 parents who participated in in-depth and semi-structured interviews between October 2022 and February 2023. The transcripts of these interviews were transcribed into textual data, which was then subjected to Colaizzi’s seven-step analysis for meticulous coding and comprehensive thematic elucidation.

Results

The comprehensive analysis of the factors involved in the intricate decision-making dilemmas faced by parents of children with severe asthma during the process of crafting discharge care plans in the PICU revealed five themes and eight sub-themes: 1) Complexity of asthma-related information; 2) Insufficient provision of comprehensive decision-making support; 3) Encountering negative emotions and wavering confidence; 4) Navigating realistic constraints impacting both parents and HCPs; 5) Balancing the advantages and disadvantages of various plans.

Conclusion

Parents of children with severe asthma in the PICU encounter intricate and multifaceted decision-making dilemmas while engaging in the formulation of discharge care plans. These complexities significantly dampen their decision-making enthusiasm and introduce potential risks to the children’s prognosis and recovery. In the future, it is imperative to leverage the guidance provided by healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the decision-making process, develop tailored decision support tools specifically designed for the formulation of discharge care plans for children with severe asthma in the PICU.

Keywords:

• severe asthma
• parents
• discharge care plan
• decision-making dilemma
• phenomenological study

Data Sharing Statement

The data analyzed during our study are not publicly available due to an agreement with the participants on the confidentiality of the data, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Our study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shandong Provincial Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. All research activities were conducted in accordance with hospital’s guidelines and requirements.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the interviewed parents who participated in the study and healthcare professionals in related hospitals who facilitated and supported this study greatly.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

There is no funding to report.