The purpose of this research study was to describe managerial guidelines to support parents with the hospitalisation of their child in a private paediatric unit. The study explored and described: · the nursing care experiences of parents regarding the hospitalisation of their child in a paediatric unit; · managerial guidelines to support parents with their lived experiences of their child’s hospitalisation in a private paediatric unit. To achieve the purpose and the objectives of the research, an interpretivephenomenological qualitative approach was used in the research design and method. Various questioning methods were employed during this study. Parents were invited to take part in unstructured individual interviews to ascertain parents’ experiences of their child’s hospitalisation. A narrative diary was used as the second method of questioning and parents were asked to narrate their lived experiences of their child’s hospitalisation in a private paediatric unit. During the study the researcher kept field notes as she participated in the fieldwork. The data obtained was then incorporated into existing literature during the conceptualisation phase. The population and sampling for this study consisted of seven parents who took part in the interviews and 15 parents who completed the narrative diaries. Purposive sampling was used to achieve saturation of data. The model of Guba and Lincoln (1985) was used to ensure trustworthiness. Ethical considerations were maintained throughout the study and consent was obtained from the respondents. The recommendations of the research were that attention should be given to: · empowering parents to participate in certain aspects of their child’s care to the extent and intensity that they feel comfortable with, recognising parents’ strengths and intrinsic characteristics and minimising feelings of parental guilt created by social roles; · guiding nursing personnel to plan the discharge process effectively; · including parents in the unit routine and managing resources whilst promoting cost containment; II · interpersonal relationships in the paediatric unit, with special emphasis on fostering a trusting and caring relationship between parents and nursing care professionals · promoting the communication of information by using a communication style that ensures parents receive adequate information; and · creating a safe, therapeutic environment for parents, where parents can be comfortable with adequate facilities and minimal external stimuli. / Prof. K. Jooste