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Research Snapshot Theater: Patient and Family Support, Pediatric I

Stakeholders’ Perceptions of EMPOWER, a PICU Parent Psychosocial Intervention

Monday, March 23, 2026
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Central Time
Location: Connections Central - RST 09

  • Lauren Yagiela, MD MS

    Children's Hospital of Michigan, Michigan

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.

  • NM

    Nina Ma, MD

    Assistant Professor - Practice
    Nationwide Children's Hospital in Toledo / The Ohio State University

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • SE

    Susan Eggly, PhD

    Professor
    Wayne State University School of Medicine

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • KM

    Kathleen Meert, MD

    Professor and Chair of Department of Pediatrics
    Children's Hospital of Michigan / Central Michigan University, Michigan

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Introduction: Few evidence-based interventions exist to help parents cope with the stress of a child’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. We previously developed a theory-driven, evidenced-based psychosocial intervention (EMPOWER) delivered by parent mentors to parents during a child’s PICU stay. EMPOWER consists of emotional support, information on parent self-care and parenting in the PICU, and breathing exercises. The current study sought to gain stakeholder feedback on aspects of EMPOWER prior to implementation.


Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with PICU healthcare providers (HCPs) and parents who previously had a child in the PICU. Interviews were conducted by a trained interviewer in-person or virtually. The interview guide elicited feedback on EMPOWER’s content and structure, training of parent mentors, and implementation factors. Interviews were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis.


Results: Participants included 12 HCPs and 7 parents. Participants supported the idea of parent mentors delivering the proposed EMPOWER intervention and its components. Suggestions included mentors providing emotional support with active listening and validation; and pairing mentors with parents based on gender, the child’s condition, and cultural background. Participants agreed that the mentor and parent should communicate via text or phone calls, with the option of in-person visits. Main benefits of EMPOWER mentioned were PICU parents feeling less alone by connecting with a mentor with lived PICU experience, and mentors feeling they are helping other parents. Participants were interested in outcomes including improvements in parents feeling supported, capacity to cope, confidence in caring for child, and relationship with PICU team. Participants suggested paying mentors for their time. Barriers mentioned included time availability of mentor or parent, parents prefering not to share feelings or feeling overwhelmed, not being proficient in English, and lacking technology to connect by phone.


Conclusions: HCPs and former PICU parents had favorable perceptions of the proposed psychosocial EMPOWER intervention for PICU parents. This work informs refining the intervention prior to implementation.