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Understanding the educational needs for parents of children with clubfoot
Maria Paulsen-Miller1, Lori A Dolan, Anita Stineman
1The Ponseti Clubfoot Treatment Center, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Insights
Parents of children with clubfoot need education on treatment processes and bracing. Healthcare providers play a key role in offering information, support, and encouragement for successful clubfoot treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Healthcare Education
- Parental Support
Background:
- Clubfoot is a common congenital birth defect requiring timely intervention.
- Effective management relies on parental adherence to treatment protocols.
- Understanding parental needs is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the educational needs of parents whose children have clubfoot.
- To define the perceived role of healthcare providers in the clubfoot treatment journey.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews with 30 parents of children with clubfoot.
- Standardized 12-question interview guide to explore parental perceptions and experiences.
- Thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in parent feedback.
Main Results:
- Key educational needs identified: understanding the overall treatment process and challenges related to bracing.
- Parents reported significant impacts on daily life and necessary lifestyle adjustments to comply with treatment.
- Healthcare providers are expected to deliver practical "how-to" information, outline risks and benefits, offer encouragement, and reinforce positive outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Targeted educational interventions are needed to address parental understanding of clubfoot treatment and bracing.
- Enhanced communication and support from healthcare providers can improve parental engagement and treatment adherence.
- Addressing the daily living challenges faced by parents is essential for successful long-term clubfoot management.
Purpose:
Identify educational needs of parents of children born with clubfoot and the role of healthcare providers throughout the treatment process.
Method:
A qualitative study using interviews with 30 parents. All subjects were asked the same 12 questions regarding their perceptions and experiences. Common themes were identified from the data collected.
Findings:
The parents' educational needs fell into the following 2 categories: (1) understanding the process of treatment and (2) problems concerning the bracing portion of treatment. Themes exposed the effects on daily living and accommodations made to follow treatment. Parents perceive that the role of the healthcare provider is to present how-to information, specify consequences of the risks, promote awareness, provide encouragement and support, and remind them of positive effects to be expected when treatment is completed.
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