Psychological benefits of family proximity to the hospital
The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of families around the impact of the Ronald McDonald House stay on their experience. A second objective was to explore the influence of demographic and clinical factors on family members’ views of their experiences, and of the outcome of their child’s hospitalization.
Accommodating Families During A Child’s Hospital Stay: Implications For Family Experience And Perceptions Of Outcomes Linda Franck, Caryl L. Gay and Nicole Rubin; Families, Systems, & Health (2013)
Parent PTS symptoms after their child's discharge
Awareness has been growing around the psychological trauma for children and their parents that can occur with hospitalization. This can undermine the child’s recovery and the overall wellbeing of the family. The main objective of this study was to identify modifiable factors that predicted parental post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) three months after the child’s hospitalization. Another aim was to explore the nature of the relationships between identified predictors of PTSS.
Predictors Of Parent Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms After Child Hospitalization On General Pediatric Wards: A Prospective Cohort Study Linda Franck, Jo Wray, Caryl Gay, Annette K. Dearmun, Kirsty Lee and Bruce A. Cooper; International Journal of Nursing Studies (2014)
Influence of accommodation type on sleep quality
Research has demonstrated that poor sleep, or lack of sleep, can lead to physical stress and increased anxiety. The purpose of this study was to compare the sleep quality, and quantity, of parents who stayed at a Ronald McDonald House to those who slept at the hospital bedside. The study was conducted at a tertiary children’s hospital in the United Kingdom as part of the larger StayClose Study that assessed anxiety and stress in parents during and after their child’s hospitalization.
Where Do Parents Sleep Best When Children Are Hospitalized? A Pilot Comparison Study Linda Franck; Jo Wray; Caryl Gay; Annette Dearmun; Isaline Alsberge and Kathryn Lee; Behavioral Sleep Medicine (2013)
Influence of family accommodation on the hospital experience
In this study additional questions about accommodation were added to standardized inpatient pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit family experience surveys at 10 U.S. hospitals. The first-of-its-kind study aimed to determine the accommodation types used by families, compare characteristics across accommodation types, and explore the influence of where families stay when their child is hospitalized on overall hospital experience outcomes.
The Child and Family Hospital Experience: Is it influenced by family accommodation? Linda Franck, Deron Ferguson, Sarah Fryda, Nicole Rubin; Medical Care Research and Review (2015)
This position paper describes the unique role of Ronald McDonald House Charities in enabling, supporting and facilitating family-centered care in current health care delivery systems worldwide.
The RMHC role in family-centered care
Ronald McDonald House Charities® is Keeping Families Close®: A Unique Role in Family-Centered Care Nicole Rubin and Linda Franck, 2018
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