Getting back to normal: parents’ perception of hospitalized children undergoing painful abdominal surgery

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of parents' perception of their child undergoing postoperative acute abdominal pain. Grounded theory method was used to systematically collect and analyze data. Data were obtained from 17 parents (12 mothers and 5 fathers) by interview and observation. A substantive theory "getting back to normal" was developed while parents were engaged in the process of taking care of their child undergoing a painful abdominal surgical procedure. This process had 5 phases: (a) taking action, (b) waiting, (c) developing a sense of safety, (d) managing, and (e) returning to normal. The major task was that parents were addressing the process of normalizing and that giving information and preparing parents for effectively taking care of their child might be expected to greatly contribute to pain reduction. Nurses need to devote energy to working with parents so that they can be considered a partner in the care.