To explore parents' experience when their children underwent emergence delirium during anaesthesia recovery.
A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study.
This descriptive phenomenological study was conducted at a medical center in Taiwan. Purposive sampling was employed, and a semi-structured interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews. Twelve parents whose children experienced emergence delirium were recruited after data saturation was reached. Data were collected between January and July 2024 and analysed using Colaizzi's seven-step method.
Parents underwent an unexpected journey characterised by emotional ups and downs when witnessing their child's emergence delirium. Four major themes were generated, including ‘unexpected chaos’, describing the disorienting situation parents experienced when confronted with their child's unfamiliar behaviours; ‘help beyond reach’, reflecting their inability to provide comfort despite being physically present; ‘a day of suffering’, highlighting the emotional overwhelm during the emergence delirium episode; and ‘appreciation after recovery’, illustrating their relief and gratitude once their child returned to baseline. These themes reveal the intense emotional fluctuations parents experience during this critical phase.
This study highlights the complex emotional fluctuations parents experience when facing their child's emergence delirium. The findings emphasise the need for anticipatory guidance and support strategies to better prepare parents and inform family-centred nursing practices.
This study addresses a gap regarding the emotional challenges experienced by East Asian parents when their child undergoes emergence delirium. The findings reveal complex parental distress shaped by internal worry and external social pressure in shared recovery spaces. These insights inform culturally sensitive care models, emphasising the importance of private environments and communication strategies that reduce parental stress and improve clinical support.
Two parents reviewed and provided feedback on the interview content and results, improving cultural relevance and clarity.
The study followed COREQ guidelines.
To explore neonatal unit policy and practice, and neonatal healthcare workers' experiences, beliefs and perceptions of twin cobedding in Australia.
A two-part convergent mixed methods design was used. Part 1 data were collected via an online survey of neonatal units. Part 2 data were collected by focus groups and interviews with healthcare workers. Findings were integrated to create final results.
21 neonatal units, and 17 healthcare workers participated in this study. Significant variations in twin cobedding practices were reported within and across neonatal units. Practice variation was influenced by several interlinked factors, captured in four themes: (1) Policy-Driven Practitioners in a Policy Vacuum; (2) Evidence, Knowledge and Education; (3) Personal Beliefs and Practice Observations; and (4) “The Parent Owns that Baby”—Being Family-Centred.
Due to widespread practice and policy variations, and a lack of evidence-based education for staff, healthcare workers appear to be making individual decisions regarding cobedding practice, potentially creating confusion for twin families navigating care.
Improvements to twin cobedding practice education are needed to enable clinicians to support twin families in their care. Separation of twins in neonatal units needs to be addressed, regardless of twin cobedding practice. Research identifying benefits and any potential risks of twin cobedding practice is required.
Neonatal healthcare workers are policy-driven practitioners who value clear evidence and education to confidently support the families in their care. It is important that evidence-based guidelines for twin cobedding are developed to support them in family-centred clinical practice.
MMAT guidelines were used to prepare this manuscript.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To explore post-anaesthesia care unit nurses' perceptions and experiences in managing paediatric emergence delirium, and to understand their experiences in implementing the Cornell Assessment of Paediatric Delirium—Traditional Chinese version tool in clinical practice following delirium-focused education.
This interpretive qualitative study involved 20 nurses in the post-anaesthesia care unit from a medical centre hospital in Taiwan who participated in small group interviews after completing delirium-focused education. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews between October and December 2024 and analysed using a thematic analysis approach.
Five main themes were identified: (1) First impressions and reflexive actions during emergence delirium, (2) Clinical interpretation through observation and elimination, (3) The dual role of parents in emergence delirium management, (4) Negotiating trust and learning with the delirium screening tool and (5) System-level needs and recommendations. Nurses described the chaotic and emotionally charged nature of emergence delirium episodes, the intuitive yet uncertain interpretive work they performed, the complex influence of parental presence, evolving trust in structured assessment tools and systemic barriers that hindered timely emergence delirium recognition.
Nurses face complex clinical, emotional and relational challenges in managing paediatric emergence delirium. Embedding delirium awareness into practice requires sustained training, screening integration and proactive parental engagement.
Findings highlight the need for integrating delirium screening into post-anaesthesia care routines, the need for ongoing education and preparing parents for emergence delirium scenarios to enhance care delivery and safety.
The COREQ checklist was used for reporting.
No patient or public involvement.