Actuellement, les services d’accueil des urgences pédiatriques (SAUP) vivent une hausse de fréquentation par des cas « non urgents », souvent reflets d’une angoisse des parents ou d’une mauvaise compréhension des informations médicales reçues. Face à ce constat, l’objectif de cette étude était de connaître l’expérience et les besoins des familles usagères des SAUP afin de proposer des solutions adaptées.

Entretiens semi-directifs et questionnaires aux parents, après la consultation ou en salle d’attente.

Expérience très satisfaisante sur la qualité de la prestation médicale, la relation soignant–enfant et l’attitude générale des soignants. Les points critiques concernaient l’accueil (aspects pratiques et organisationnels essentiellement), l’attente, ainsi que divers points liés à la relation soignants–familles.

Les préoccupations des parents sont multidimensionnelles, allant du stress de voir leur enfant malade à des questions purement organisationnelles. Leur inquiétude influence la décision de se rendre aux SAUP, le vécu de la prise en charge, et surtout de l’attente, ainsi que le jugement sur la qualité médicale de la consultation. Les familles souhaitent plus de communication et de présence de la part des soignants. Sur la base de leurs suggestions, nous proposons une structuration de la prise en charge relationnelle en quatre temps (temps d’attente, d’écoute, d’information et de validation finale).

Les familles, témoignant d’un stress global, demandent principalement à se sentir rassurées, entendues et informées. Par ailleurs, réfléchir globalement (en termes de santé publique) à la prise en charge des cas « non urgents », reste évidemment d’actualité.

Today, pediatric emergency services receive a rising number of “non-urgent” cases, which are due to parental anxiety or a miscomprehension of medical explanations. The aim of this study was therefore to understand what those families experience and need when they consult in such cases, in order to respond with adapted solutions.

Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with parents, after the consultation or in the waiting room.

Based on the families’ narratives, we present the results in six steps, which correspond to the steps they experience from the decision to go to the hospital to the consultation. Families’ experiences are very satisfactory regarding the quality of medical care, the relationship between staff and children, and the staff's overall attitude. Critical points concern practical aspects (parking, food, and play facilities); the waiting time and the lack of information; and the communication between the medical staff and the parents, most particularly related to their anxiety and waiting time.

The results show first that parents have multiple preoccupations: many stress factors and organizational difficulties are added to their child's disease. These preoccupations are mostly related to the lack of information about the waiting time, information that they would need to organize their day and their time in the hospital. Second, the results show that parental anxiety influences their decision to come to the emergency department, their experience of care and of the waiting time, and their judgment about the quality of the medical care. Considering this, families requested practical improvements (i.e., more toys in the waiting room), and suggest more communication and presence from the medical staff. Based on their demands, we suggest an agenda of care in four steps: a waiting time, a time for sharing, a time for information giving, and a validation time.

Overall, parents are stressed and anxious when they come to the emergency department and request more reassurance, attention, and explanations from the healthcare staff. We propose a final “validation time” to verify that the medical explanations are understood as well as the emotional state of the family. In this way, we can ensure good follow-up care at home, avoid unnecessary readmissions, and promote parental health education.