Caring Readiness Among Parents of Children Who Have Undergone Liver Transplantation and Are Transitioning From the Intensive Care Unit: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Objective

To investigate the status and influencing factors of caring readiness among parents of children undergoing liver transplantation transitioning from the intensive care unit, and to explore the associations between caring readiness and other variables.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Methods

A total of 126 parents of children who underwent liver transplantation at a tertiary hospital in China took a questionnaire survey via convenience sampling. Independent t-test, ANOVA and correlation analysis were conducted to analyse the data. Multivariable stepwise linear regression was used to analyse the influencing factors of caring readiness. The PROCESS macro (Model 4) was used to verify the mediating effect of caregiver burden between social support and caring readiness.

Reporting Method

The STROBE checklist was used as a guideline in this study.

Results

The mean score of caring readiness among parents of children who had undergone liver transplantation and were transitioning from the intensive care unit was 23.62 ± 5.34. Multivariable stepwise linear regression analysis indicated that experience with caregiving, intensive care unit length of stay, social support and caregiver burden were the factors associated with caring readiness, explaining 18.6% of the variance in caring readiness among parents. Caregiver burden partially moderated the relationship between social support and caring readiness (20.93%).

Conclusion

The study shows caring readiness was moderate among parents of children who have undergone liver transplantation and are transitioning from the intensive care unit. It reveals that lack of caregiving experience and children's short intensive care unit length of stay should be emphasised, preventing inadequate readiness of parents. Furthermore, enhancing social support interventions and burden-reduction strategies are important for improving parents' caring readiness.

Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care

The findings demonstrate that health care professionals should provide timely and appropriate intervention strategies to enhance parents' caring readiness, which could potentially be achieved by increasing social support and reducing caregiver burden.

Patient or Public Contribution

Parents of children who underwent liver transplantation participated in this study via a questionnaire survey.