TY - JOUR
T1 - Prioritizing family-centered developmental care
T2 - insights from parents of children with critical congenital heart disease: a qualitative study
AU - Sprong, Maaike C A
AU - Zwagerman, Iza R
AU - Soeters, Lotte
AU - Slieker, Martijn G
AU - Takken, Tim
AU - van den Hoogen, Agnes
AU - van Brussel, Marco
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - As survivors of early cardiac surgery are at high risk of neurodevelopmental impairments, systematic health observations of children with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) throughout childhood are recommended to enable early diagnosis and offer interventions to optimize neurodevelopment. A qualitative study using thematic analysis was performed to explore parents’ concerns, experiences, and needs regarding the development and received developmental care of their child (0–10 years) during hospital admission and beyond. Data were collected using semi-structured online interviews with 20 parents of children with CCHD. Four major themes were identified: (1) “impact of diagnosis and disease on the family-system,” (2) “parental concerns from diagnoses and beyond,” (3) “the need for information,” and (4) “the need for individualized and family-centered care.” The main themes can be divided into 13 sub-themes as impact, concerns, and needs are influenced by various impactful moments from diagnosis and afterwards. Conclusion: This study confirms the importance of early identification of neurodevelopmental problems by experienced healthcare professionals, especially in the early years when parental expectations and concerns about their child’s neurodevelopment are lower. A tailor-made family-centered follow-up program should be offered, which pays attention to both the neurodevelopment of patients with CCHD as well as the mental wellbeing of the entire family system. Furthermore, an online portal is recommended with a variety of reliable, controlled, understandable information from which parents can obtain the desired information to understand better the consequences of specific heart condition and to provide their child with the best possible guidance. (Table presented.)
AB - As survivors of early cardiac surgery are at high risk of neurodevelopmental impairments, systematic health observations of children with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) throughout childhood are recommended to enable early diagnosis and offer interventions to optimize neurodevelopment. A qualitative study using thematic analysis was performed to explore parents’ concerns, experiences, and needs regarding the development and received developmental care of their child (0–10 years) during hospital admission and beyond. Data were collected using semi-structured online interviews with 20 parents of children with CCHD. Four major themes were identified: (1) “impact of diagnosis and disease on the family-system,” (2) “parental concerns from diagnoses and beyond,” (3) “the need for information,” and (4) “the need for individualized and family-centered care.” The main themes can be divided into 13 sub-themes as impact, concerns, and needs are influenced by various impactful moments from diagnosis and afterwards. Conclusion: This study confirms the importance of early identification of neurodevelopmental problems by experienced healthcare professionals, especially in the early years when parental expectations and concerns about their child’s neurodevelopment are lower. A tailor-made family-centered follow-up program should be offered, which pays attention to both the neurodevelopment of patients with CCHD as well as the mental wellbeing of the entire family system. Furthermore, an online portal is recommended with a variety of reliable, controlled, understandable information from which parents can obtain the desired information to understand better the consequences of specific heart condition and to provide their child with the best possible guidance. (Table presented.)
KW - Children
KW - Critical congenital heart disease
KW - Family-centered care
KW - Neurodevelopmental care
KW - Parental experiences
KW - Qualitative research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196291163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00431-024-05600-9
DO - 10.1007/s00431-024-05600-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 38888645
SN - 0340-6199
VL - 183
SP - 3863
EP - 3876
JO - European Journal of Pediatrics
JF - European Journal of Pediatrics
IS - 9
ER -