Protecting, providing and participating: fathers' roles during their child's unplanned hospital stay, an ethnographic study

Family centred care is promoted in children’s nursing as providing high quality care but internationally, research has in the main focused on mothers whilst fathers’ contribution to care remains relatively under explored. An ethnographic study revealed that fathers wanted to be with their sick child in hospital and made essential contributions to the whole family’s experience. Three aspects of the fathers role in caring for their sick child in hospital were identified which included: protecting, providing for the family and participating in care. Fathers want to be with and care for their sick child in hospital, yet they face challenges in doing so