[A questionnaire study on psychological problems in home medical care for children with chronic illness]

We performed a questionnaire study on psychological problems in home medical care, including mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and parenteral nutrition, for children with chronic illnesses in Osaka prefecture, Japan. One hundred two pediatricians (46%) answered the questionnaire. The majority of the doctors regarded psychological support for the children and their families as an important issue. In some cases, home medical care was interrupted because of psychological problems such as psychological burden, anxiety and stress of the children and/or their families. And some other cases, home medical care was impossible because of parental refusal to treatment and/or their child. The cases with mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy mainly accounted for these cases. Since the number of cases undergoing home medical care is estimated to increase in the future, medical staff should be more aware of psychological support for the families as well as their children.