Nursing Support Perceived by the Mothers of Hospitalized Children in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Having a child in hospital is a stressful experience for most parents, especially for mothers. In Bangladesh, the number of hospital admission of under-5 children is gradually increasing. Support from nurses can assist mothers to maintain their parenting role and promote quality nursing care. Objective: The study was conducted to assess the nursing support perceived by the mothers of hospitalized children in Bangladesh. Methods: A Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 mothers whose children were admitted at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Convenience sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data was collected by using self-administered structured questionnaires including (1) The Demographic Data Questionnaires and (2) Perception of Nursing Support Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The total mean of nursing support was 3.68 (SD=.25). The findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference between mothers’education and nursing support (F=2.73, p=.033). There was a statistically significant positive relationship between child age and nursing support (r=.22, p=.019). There were statistically significant differences between a child’s gender and nursing support of mothers (t=1.99, p=.048) which means mothers who had a male child had more nursing support. Conclusion: The findings of the present study provide information for the nurses ‘that help to increase nursing support among mothers of hospitalized children in Bangladesh. Nurses can promote the quality of care and should be aware of the importance of nursing support. Further study is crucial for identifying factors influencing on nursing support perceived by the mothers of hospitalized children. It is important that nurses continue to develop their knowledge about communication and establishing parent support system.