Peer-reviewed article
Fighting to be heard: a thematic analysis of parent perspectives on safety in UK general practice.
Purchase T, Quinn-Scoggins HD, McFadzean IJ, Donovan L, Hope I et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study explored how parents in UK primary care experience and perceive child safety in general practice. Researchers conducted workshops with 33 parents and analysed their experiences and views on healthcare safety incidents. Parents identified three main concerns: unclear roles between parents and healthcare teams, difficulties navigating the healthcare system, and challenges in being heard, especially for ethnic minority parents and those lacking confidence to speak up.
Key points
- Parents described needing to 'fight' for care and described challenges understanding healthcare processes in primary care
- Communication and language barriers were a significant issue, particularly for ethnic minority parents and those lacking confidence to speak up
- Unclear roles and responsibilities between parents and healthcare teams were perceived as a safety concern
- Parent perspectives on paediatric safety in primary care have been under-researched compared to hospital settings
- Engaging parents as co-designers in safety improvement could enhance trust and reduce risk for children
Limitations
This qualitative study captures parent perspectives but does not measure actual safety outcomes or incidents. The findings are based on UK general practice and may not generalise to other healthcare systems or countries.
Abstract
Background Children are particularly vulnerable to healthcare-associated harm. Parents play a vital but under-recognised protective role in paediatric patient safety. Parent perceptions of and contributions to safety improvement efforts within hospital settings are well documented, but little is known about parent experiences and perspectives in primary care. Aim To explore diverse parental perspectives on paediatric safety in primary care and identify target areas for improvement. Design and setting This qualitative study in UK primary care was conducted through online (n = 2) and in-person (n = 2) workshops with parents, taking place between 24 June and 8 July 2024. Method Workshops were structured around a descriptive analysis of paediatric patient safety incident reports in general practice. Parents discussed and reflected on their own experiences in relation to the findings. Transcripts and field notes were analysed thematically to identify key themes. Results Parents (n = 33) from varied backgrounds, including under-served communities, participated. Three major themes were identified: responsibility of care, highlighting perceived unclear roles between parents and healthcare teams; navigating the system, where parents described the need to 'fight' for care and the challenges of understanding healthcare processes; and communication and language, emphasising the difficulties of being heard, especially among ethnic minority parents and those lacking the confidence to speak up. Conclusion Parent perspectives on paediatric safety in primary care have highlighted key areas for practices, researchers, and safety improvement teams to target system change and intervention development. Engaging parents as co-designers in these efforts could enhance trust, reduce risk, and improve safety outcomes for paediatric patients.