Pediatric solid organ transplant recipients: transition to home and chronic illness care

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Transplant Care
• Healthcare Transition
• Family-Centered Care

Background:

• Pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients require complex home management.
• Parents often report insufficient preparation for hospital discharge, hindering successful home transition.
• Challenges in self-managing complex care needs impact pediatric SOT recipients and their families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors influencing hospital-to-home transition and chronic illness care for parents of pediatric SOT recipients.
• To identify key elements that facilitate or impede successful post-transplant care management at home.
• To understand the long-term impact of discharge preparedness on family functioning.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 51 parents of pediatric SOT recipients across five transplant centers.
• Data collection via questionnaires at discharge and telephone interviews at 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post-discharge.
• Analysis of factors associated with parental readiness and post-discharge outcomes.

Main Results:

• Quality of discharge teaching (p < 0.01) and care coordination (p = 0.02) significantly predicted parental readiness for discharge.
• Parental readiness was linked to reduced post-discharge coping difficulty at 3 weeks (p = 0.02) and 6 months (p = 0.04).
• Readiness also correlated with improved medication adherence at 3 months (p = 0.03) and better family management at 6 months (p = 0.02).

Conclusions:

• High-quality discharge education and robust care coordination are vital for successful pediatric SOT home management.
• Assessing parental readiness for discharge is critical for identifying families at risk of post-discharge challenges.
• Optimizing the discharge process supports improved coping, adherence, and family management in pediatric transplant care.