Information exchange in paediatric care

Abstract: Information exchange is an essential component for all involved in the paediatric care encounter. Despite this, most of the research about information exchange concerns adults and the significance of the child’s existence in the encounter have not been given sufficient attention. Therefore, the overall aims of this thesis were twofold. Firstly, the aim was to identify, describe and generate concepts in information exchange between minors, parents/guardians and health care professionals in paediatric care situations. Secondly, the intention was to formulate a theoretical construction, a theory, of the phenomenon of information exchange in paediatric care situations.This thesis is based on four studies. In studies I, II and III grounded theory was used according to Glaser and data have been analyzed using the constant comparative analysis method. Data have been collected through observations and medical records (I, II and III) and also with additional follow-up interviews (III). In study IV, at first a qualitative content analysis of Løgstrup’s ethical demand was conducted and, second, a simultaneous concept analysis of the findings from studies I, II and III and the findings from the qualitative content analysis was carried out. There were a total of 67 participants in the three observational studies: 28 minors (I), 24 parents/guardians (II) and 15 health care professionals (III), who exchanged information in different paediatric care encounters.The information exchange interaction process was resolved by the minors “balancing the circumstances” (I), the parents/guardians used “firm handling” (II) and the health care professionals were “sharing and contributing the responsibility” (III). The qualitative content analysis of Løgstrup’s ethical demand provided the mediation and the social norms. The simultaneous concept analysis finally gave the advanced outcome to intergrade, which means to merge gradually with another through a continuous series of intermediates. At the same time as we intergrade in paediatric care, we protect the totality of minors, recognize the dependency of the parents/guardians and the social interplay by the health care professionals, the information exchange is improved. This thesis emphasizes the importance of health care professionals’ communication skills and the need for education and practice in this topic, in order to improve the information exchange with minors and their parents/guardians from an ethical viewpoint. The theory intergrade explains how this could be applied and implemented.