Parent's perceptions of paediatric care in two radiology departments within Johannesburg, South Africa

Background: A referral to the Radiology department may be a very frightening, and at times a stressful experience for a child and their parents. The radiographer plays an important role as a healthcare professional to simultaneously produce high-quality diagnostic X-ray images and facilitate a high standard of care in a limited timeframe. Methods: The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was thus to explore and describe parents’ perceptions of paediatric care in two Radiology departments within Gauteng. A total of 12 semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with parents, until data saturation was achieved. Results: Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis was used which unveiled three themes: 1) Recognition of overall positive, high standard of care received by paediatrics who underwent an X-ray examination 2) Limitations prohibiting a caring environment 3) The need for parent-centered paediatric care through the implementation of Family Centered Care (FCC). Conclusion: Overall, there was positive feedback from the parents’ perspectives and general satisfaction with the quality of care received by the child whilst in the Radiology department. Although there were some negative categories particularly referring to an unknown environment, parents overall appreciated the qualities of caring and effective communication that the radiographers displayed during their visit. Implications for practice: The lack of literature regarding parents’ perceptions of paediatric care within the context of radiography led to the current study. Recommendations for future best practice would be incorporating the concept of FCC within the curriculum of the radiography degree to improve overall patient and parent satisfaction.