A caregiver, an expert, a patient: How complementary therapies support the roles of parents of children with life threatening conditions in hospital settings.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand emerging roles of parents of hospitalized children with life threatening conditions and to explore how complementary therapies integrated into conventional pediatric care may shift and/or support these roles.

DESIGN: This study is part of a larger research study that examined the introduction of a pediatric integrative medicine service at an acute care children's hospital in Canada. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using one-on-one telephone interviews with a sample of parents of children included in the larger study. Children had access to complementary therapies including Reiki, massage therapy, and acupuncture.

RESULTS: A total of 36 interviews were conducted between May 2014 and January 2016. This study found that parents of hospitalized children assume complex roles including that of caregiver, expert and patient (due to high levels of stress and anxiety). Moreover, the study reveals that the integration of complementary therapies with conventional care supports these parental roles.

CONCLUSION: This study reveals that complementary therapies, introduced as a part of integrated approach to pediatric hospital care, and aimed primarily at managing distressing symptoms in patients, had simultaneously a positive contribution in providing parents with the means to navigate the complexities of parenting in the pediatric oncology and cardiology hospital wards and addressing some of their own needs.