Are parents being given appropriate information before discharge? Ruth Bailey and Chris Caldwell carried out a survey to find out more about parents’ needs

Nurses are aware of the need to provide parents and children with appropriate information in a form they can understand. Information leaflets explaining medical conditions, surgery, investigations and follow-up care arc- produced in every children's unit and there is renewed emphasis for such information following the Patient’s Charter (1). However there is less emphasis on evaluating whether written information leaflets are being given to parents appropriately, and whether parents understand the information contained in them. This article describes a survey of parents in one paediatric ward to identify whether they had been given sufficient information about their child’s illness prior to discharge to enable them to cope at home.