Parents’ journeys of mastery and knowledge construction after their infant’s first stage of surgery for complex congenital heart disease.

Background: A growing body of conceptual evidence over the last decade has increased our understanding of parents’ experiences of having an infant with complex congenital heart disease. These concepts include parents’ feelings of uncertainty, fear, excitement, and mastery. However, little is known about parents’ experiences, confidence, and knowledge acquisition during transition from hospital to home with their infant after the first stage of complex cardiac surgery. A theoretical framework to assess, plan and implement child and family centred care would assist children’s cardiac nurses responsible for parental education, discharge planning and coordination.
Aim: To explore parents’ experiences of the transition from hospital to home with their infant, following the first stage of cardiac surgery.
Design: A prospective mixed methods longitudinal design. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken, including administration of the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire at four timepoints: before discharge following stage one cardiac surgery (T0), 2 weeks’ post discharge (T1), 8 weeks’ post discharge (T2) and after stage two surgery (T3). Qualitative data were thematically analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the sample and non-parametric repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyse changes over time in maternal confidence scores.
Results: Sixteen parents of 12 infants participated. Four ‘patterns of transition experience’ emerged, the fourth, ‘Mastery’, is discussed in this paper. Mastery can be contextualised in terms of the parents’ journeys of knowledge construction, gaining confidence and reflection. Learning was dynamic and transformational, but successful learning and acquisition of knowledge was also dependent upon the parents’ ability to absorb, integrate and adjust at any given time. Confidence at T0 was significantly lower than at T1 (p=0.011), T2 (p=0.018) and T3 (p=0.012). There were no significant differences between scores at T1, T2 and T3. Liminality, as a concept, described the between and betwixt time that parents experienced as they were preparing for discharge from hospital; excitement to be going home balanced with the fear of being alone and confidence in looking after their fragile infant.
Conclusion: Parents of infants with complex congenital heart disease obtain knowledge, confidence, and mastery dependent upon their transition experience and their personal journey through pre-liminal, liminal, and post-liminal phases of discharge from hospital to home. A conceptual framework ‘Parenting through Transitions – hospital to home’ emerged that could assist in structuring assessment of parents’ knowledge and support needs within a coordinated discharge process. Identifying individualised support would promote adaptation and adjustment during transition from the pre to post liminal phase, following their infant’s first stage of complex cardiac surgery.