Background:

The number of children in Sweden is projected to rise over the next few decades. Right now, the proportion of children is about 20 percent of the entire population. As the pediatric population grows so does the pressure on emergency care, which in turn leads to an increased need for a good emergency care of the child and family.

Aim:

This study aims to highlight parents' experiences when their child needed medical care due to acute illness or accident. Method: A literature-based study based on ten qualitative studies.

Results:

When a child needs hospital care due to illness or accident, parents felt a need to be informed about their child's condition and treatment. They also felt a need of encouragement and support from health professionals. An important factor for parents was to be close to their children, they also wanted to be involved in their child's care. Feelings that could occur were anxiety, guilt and helplessness. The parents also had opinions about the hospitalization that included safety, environment and waiting time. The parents wanted to get their parenting confirmed by nursing staff and they were happy when the staff listened to their knowledge about their child. The parents expressed that their everyday life was affected by having their child in hospital. Conclusion: It is important that the nurses have knowledge about what parents experience in situations where their children’s health is acutely threatened. The result shows that parents experience many strong emotions in these situations and they all react in different ways. It is therefore important that the nurse is there to help and guide them