Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada | [b] Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada | [c] Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada | [d] Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Kelly K. O'Brien, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Room 160, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada. Tel.: +1 416 978 0565; Fax: +1 416 946 8562; E-mail:kelly.obrien@utoronto.ca
Abstract: PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary
investigation into parents' experiences of physical therapy and early
mobility (EM) for their children in a pediatric critical care unit (PCCU). METHODS: We conducted a series of four qualitative case studies
using in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews. We recruited parents
of children who had undergone surgery and received at least one EM physical
therapy intervention while intubated. We conducted a thematic analysis of
transcribed interviews to illuminate the factors that influenced EM
experiences. RESULTS: Four parents participated in the study. We developed an
overview of Parental Experiences with Physical Therapy and Early Mobility in a PCCU, which includes four themes that parents believed influenced
their experiences: (1) environmental factors; (2) awareness of physical
therapist and health care professional (HCP) roles; (3) communication among
parents and HCPs; and (4) parental participation in their child's EM, within
the overarching parental experiences in the PCCU. CONCLUSION: This study affords a preliminary understanding of parents'
experiences with physical therapy and EM in a PCCU setting. Results provide
an important foundation for future research on mobility in the context of
pediatric critical care research and practice.
Keywords: Pediatric, children, intensive care, rehabilitation, early mobility, parent
