Parental satisfaction survey using Empowerment of Parents in the Intensive Care-30 in a tertiary care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A prospective observational study

Background: Family-centered care is increasingly recognized as an important constituent of healthcare delivery, and measurement of parental satisfaction is one of the key indicators of quality of care. We aimed to study the level of satisfaction and to analyze various factors affecting satisfaction levels among parents of children admitted to a tertiary care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) using the Empowerment of Parents in the Intensive Care-30 (EMPATHIC-30) questionnaire. Subjects and Methods: Parents of children admitted to PICU with anticipated stay more than 48 h were enrolled. Self-administered EMPATHIC-30 questionnaire translated into local language was administered at the time of discharge from PICU. Various patient- and parent-related factors were compared to look for differences in perceived satisfaction among families. Results: A total of 384 children were enrolled; the overall level of satisfaction was high, especially in professional attitude and care and treatment domains. None of the parent-related factors affected the level of satisfaction. Among patient-related factors, parents of ventilated children scored less on the “information” and “parent participation” domain. The parents of children more than 5 years had higher satisfaction scores. Open-ended questions revealed mostly positive experiences during the PICU stay. The most frequent experiences during the admission period were “very good service” and “anxiety about illness.” Conclusions: There was a high level of overall satisfaction among parents with the care received by their children in PICU. Among patient-related factors, the age of child and ventilation were significantly associated with the level of parental satisfaction.