Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to identify informational needs of parents with children hospitalized with gastroenteritis or RSV infection in an isolation unit, and compare it with received information. A consecutive sample of parents of children discharged from the paediatric unit, answered a questionnaire one week after discharge. Answers were structured in 4 categories of parental information needs: general, medical, partnership and discharge information. The parents needed and were given a lot of general and medical information, but there were some shortcomings. The parents were not given adequate information about their partnership with the nurses or about the hospital discharge. On nearly half of the information items there was no significant correlation between information needed and information received. The present study contributes to the understanding of informational needs of parents whose children have been hospitalized in an isolation unit. The findings can be used to build information systems to support parents, nurses and physicians and to provide individualized information.
