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Parental knowledge and views of pediatric congenital heart disease
M Beeri1, Z Haramati, J J Rein
1Department of Pediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopu, Israel.
Insights
Parental understanding of pediatric heart conditions is linked to education levels. Lower parental education correlates with incorrect descriptions of their child's heart disease, impacting the child's own knowledge.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Medical Education
- Patient Knowledge
Background:
- Parental knowledge of a child's heart disease is crucial for treatment compliance and anxiety reduction.
- Previous research indicates significant inaccuracies in parental diagnostic descriptions (36%).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate parental knowledge and attitudes within a pediatric cardiology clinic outpatient setting.
- To identify factors influencing parental understanding of congenital heart defects.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was administered to 74 families of children with heart conditions.
- Data collected included parental descriptions of the child's condition, attitudes towards dental hygiene, and views on prenatal diagnosis.
Main Results:
- 18% of parents inaccurately described their child's heart malformation.
- Parental education level significantly correlated with their understanding of the heart defect.
- 88% of families considered future prenatal diagnosis; 40% considered pregnancy termination.
- Only 40% of children were aware of their condition; parental ignorance was linked to children's lack of knowledge.
- A notable finding was that 68% of Jewish families sought advice from non-medical personnel.
Conclusions:
- Parental understanding of their child's heart condition is primarily influenced by their educational background, not the severity or complexity of the disease.
- Lower parental education levels are associated with a higher likelihood of misperceiving the child's medical problem.
- Addressing parental knowledge gaps is essential for improving pediatric cardiac care and patient/family well-being.
Background:
Parental knowledge of their child's heart disease, while often overlooked, contributes to compliance and reduces anxiety. Prior studies have shown that 36% of parental diagnostic descriptions are incorrect.
Objectives:
To assess parental knowledge and attitudes among outpatients at a hospital pediatric cardiology clinic.
Methods:
Seventy-four families completed a questionnaire in which they described their child's condition and stated their attitude towards dental hygiene and future prenatal diagnosis.
Results:
Eighteen percent of the parents failed to describe their child's malformation correctly. We found that parental understanding of the heart defect correlated with parental education. Future prenatal diagnosis was considered by 88% of families, and termination of pregnancy by 40%. Only 40% of children were aware of their heart problem. Children of parents who were ignorant about the condition tended to lack knowledge themselves. An additional finding was that 68% of Jewish families turn to non-medical personnel for medical advice--an interesting finding not hitherto addressed.
Conclusions:
Ignorance of their child's problem did not correlate with its severity or complexity but rather with parental background: the less educated the parent, the more likely was the problem perceived incorrectly.