Parent Ethical Concerns About Patient Feedback Measures to Improve Pediatric Clinical Care

Abstract

There are limited studies evaluating parental willingness to complete patient feedback measures to improve pediatric clinical care. Parents were randomly assigned to read a vignette that varied by parent satisfaction and type of feedback measure. Parents were generally willing to participate in the hypothetical research study aimed to improve their child’s clinical care. Parents in the dissatisfied condition invited to participate in a potentially identifiable interview, compared to an anonymous survey, reported they would be less likely to respond honestly and more likely to feel obligated to participate. Researchers aiming to improve pediatric clinical care should be encouraged to use patient feedback measures that collect potentially identifiable information; however, researchers must consider the potential impact of parent satisfaction on feedback.