Purpose
This study aimed to analyze the concept of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards.
Methods
The hybrid model by Schwarz-Barcott and Kim was used to analyze the characteristics of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards.
Results
Transfer anxiety was defined by the following attributes: 1) stress concerning the adaptation process, 2) concern about the child’s condition worsening due to the parent’s caregiving, and 3) involuntary changes in daily life due to the treatment. Transfer anxiety has the following antecedents: 1) uncertainty; 2) a lack of knowledge about the illness, medical devices, and caregiving; and 3) a lack of social support. It resulted in 1) caregiver burden, 2) a decrease in the capacity for coping with caregiving, 3) delays in the child’s physical and psychological recovery, and 4) decreased quality of life.
Conclusion
It is necessary to develop an assessment scale that considers the attributes of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards. Furthermore, an effective nursing intervention should be developed to reduce transfer anxiety.

Citations

• Effect of sterile ice water versus menthol spray on thirst symptoms of fasted children in the intensive care unit: A prospective cohort study
  Fangyan Ma, Haiting He, Banghong Xu, Jing Zhou, Kai Pu
  Medicine.2023; 102(12): e33315.     CrossRef