Parents’ information needs and preferences related to bronchiolitis: a qualitative study

Abstract

Bronchiolitis, an acute lower respiratory tract infection, affects more than one-third of children less than age 2 years and is the most common cause for hospital admission in the first year of life. 1 Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of bronchiolitis. The condition is characterized by inflammation and edema in the small airways, with increased mucus production. 2 Although most instances of bronchiolitis are self-limiting, severe complications, such as pneumonia and empyema, may occur. These complications can severely affect a child's health and may result in hospital admission. 3 In addition, parents suffer psychologically and emotionally through their child's illness and need support. 4,5 Parental anxiety and uncertainty are common during a child's illness, leading them to seek care from their physician or at the emergency department. 6 A wide variety of parental information is available, including written and online material. Parents are not always aware of this material, and if they are, the variability of clinical treatment for bronchiolitis can leave parents uncertain about whom or what sources of information they can trust. 3,6,7 It is therefore imperative to understand the information needs of parents in relation to bronchiolitis, where they look for this information and how they prefer this information to be provided. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore parents' experiences and information needs caring for a child with bronchiolitis. MethodsIn this exploratory study, we used qualitative descriptive approaches. 8 SettingParticipants were recruited from Oct. 1, 2017, to Mar. 15, 2018 by means of purposive sampling 9 from the Stollery Children's Hospital emergency department, a specialized pediatric emergency department in Edmonton. SampleParents were eligible if they presented to the emergency department seeking care for their child with bronchiolitis symptoms and were fluent in English. In the emergency department, clinical team members identified eligible participants via the emergency department information system and

Parents' perspectives, information needs and healthcare preferences when consulting for their children with bronchiolitis: A qualitative study

“…Some of our findings agreed with a qualitative study by Campbell et al, which explored parental preferences for information on bronchiolitis in the ED 27 . Indeed, this study also found that most parents reported receiving insufficient information on how to recognise the symptoms of bronchiolitis.…”

“…None of the tools were prepared by our healthcare institution. Moreover, previous studies that have evaluated parents’ preferred methods of information on bronchiolitis yielded similar findings in different settings, suggesting some validity in the overall identified themes 17,27 . Lastly, we were unable to collect data from parents who refused to participate in the study.…”

“…This study asked parents for their perspectives on bronchiolitis, ranging from mild cases in the ED to more severe courses necessitating intensive care unit admission, 16,17,27 and asked them what information they needed. Based on their specific suggestions, we identified ways that clinicians can improve the information that is provided on bronchiolitis and optimise parental support, education and coaching in hospital and home settings.…”

Parent Experiences Caring for a Child With Bronchiolitis: A Qualitative Study

“…Findings from this study and our study exploring parents’ information needs and preferences related to bronchiolitis ( 13 ) will inform the development of digital KT tools for parents of children with bronchiolitis. Parent experiences will be used to create a narrative for the digital KT tool.…”

“…The aim of this qualitative study was to describe parents’ experiences caring for a child with bronchiolitis and identify their information needs managing bronchiolitis. The information needs identified by parents are reported elsewhere ( 13 ). Here, we explicitly report on the overall daily experience of parents caring for a child with acute bronchiolitis.…”