Maternal Presence Experiences in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit During the Admission of Pediatric Patients with Respiratory Failure

Abstract

            The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of maternal presence in a pediatric intensive care unit during the admission of pediatric patients with respiratory failure. Data were collected through nonparticipant observation and in-depth interviews to examine mothers with specific inclusion criteria who were continuously caring for pediatric patients with respiratory failure. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method by repeatedly reading the interview transcripts, coding the data, drawing a conclusion, and interpreting into key themes until the data were saturated from six informants.
            The result showed that "Caring with a mother's heart" and "Feeling driven and maintaining the mother's care for her child" were the main themes as essential elements of maternal presence in pediatric intensive care. This can be used as foundational information to support maternal presence, including future research.