Examination of nursing care perception, anxiety and satisfaction of parents applying to the children's emergency service

EXAMINATION OF NURSING CARE PERCEPTION, ANXIETY AND SATISFACTION OF PARENTS APPLYING TO THE CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY SERVICE Ömer ŞİMŞEK Master'sThesis NursingDepartment Thesis Advisor Assoc. Prof. Gamze YILMAZ Aim: This descriptive study was conducted to examine parents' perceptions of nursing care, satisfaction, and anxiety levels in the pediatric emergency department. Material and Method: The study population consisted of parents of children aged 0-18 who were admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Department of Ağrı Training and Research Hospital, affiliated with the Ağrı Provincial Health Directorate, between April and November 2024. The sample included 378 parents who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form, the Parental Perception of Nursing Care Form, the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI), and the Satisfaction Level Questionnaire for Parents of Children Admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Unit. For data analysis, arithmetic mean, Standard deviation, skewness and kurtosisco efficients, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Welch ANOVA (for cases where group variances were not homogeneous), Bonferroni post hoctests, and correlation analysis were used. Results: Participants' average SAI score was 44,24±11,19, and the average score on the Parental Perception of Nursing Care Scale was 100,90±25,94. A moderate negative correlation was found between the SAI and the Nursing Care Perception Scale scores (p<0,001). It was determined that 37.8% of parents were satisfied witht headequacy of equipment and material used in the emergency unit, 49.7% were generally satisfied with the nurses, 50,3% were satisfied with the number of nurses, and 49,7% were generally satisfied with the emergency unit. According to the satisfaction questionnaire, parents who were satisfied had lower SAI scores than those who were not satisfied, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0,05). Similarly, parents who were satisfied had significantly higher Nursing Care Perception Scale scores than those who were not satisfied (p<0,05). Conclusion: Inconclusion, it was determined that parents of children admitted to the pediatric emergency department had moderate levels of perception of nursing care, anxiety, and satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that as parents' anxiety levels decreased, their perception of nursing care became more positive. Since satisfaction with nursing care is an important factor affecting anxiety, it is recommended that appropriate nursing interventions be planned in pediatric emergency departments to improve the quality of nursing care and reduce anxiety levels in both children and their parents. Keywords: Pediatric emergency department, parental satisfaction, perception of nursing care, anxiety.