Levels of Partnership between Nurses and Parents of Hospitalized Children and the Quality of Pediatric Nursing Care as Perceived by Nurses

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship of the partnership between nurses and parents of hospitalized children with the quality of pediatric nursing care as perceived by pediatric nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 90 nurses. The data collected were analyzed using the independent t-test and the Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The level of partnership between nurses and parents showed significant differences by nurses’ age (t=2.22, p=.029) and marital status (t=2.54, p=.013). The quality of pediatric nursing care was found to significantly differ by the nurses’ age (t=2.62, p=.013), marital status (t=4.17, p<.001), whether nurses had children (t=2.53, p=.020), pediatric ward work experience (t=2.43, p=.020), and total work experience (t=2.51, p=.016). The level of partnership between nurses and parents was positively correlated with the quality of pediatric nursing care (r=.48, p<.001). CONCLUSION: To improve the quality of nursing care for hospitalized children and their parents, it is important to consider the specific characteristics of pediatric nurses, whose clinical skills should be improved.