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Medical alert card: a valuable tool in the management of Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis from parental
Ancuta Muntean1, Ionica Stoica2, Melania Matcovici3
1Department of Paediatric Surgery, Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland. ancutza_muntean@yahoo.com.
Insights
Parents found the Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) medical alert card useful for increasing awareness and communication. This tool aids in the prompt recognition and management of HAEC in children with Hirschsprung's disease (HD).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Gastroenterology
- Medical Education
Background:
- Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is a serious complication of Hirschsprung's disease (HD).
- Early recognition and management of HAEC are crucial for improving patient outcomes.
- Awareness of HAEC among families and medical staff can facilitate timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and assess the utility of a medical alert card for HAEC.
- To evaluate parental perception of the HAEC alert card's effectiveness.
- To enhance awareness of HAEC among healthcare providers and caregivers.
Main Methods:
- An HAEC medical alert card was distributed to patients diagnosed with HD over 14 years.
- A structured questionnaire was administered to parents/patients at 1-year follow-up.
- Parental opinions on the card's usefulness and impact were collected.
Main Results:
- 62% of patients/parents responded to the follow-up questionnaire.
- 96% of responders found the HAEC alert card useful.
- 39% of cardholders used the card, which increased medical staff awareness in 83% of cases and prompted tertiary center contact in 53% of occasions.
Conclusions:
- The HAEC medical alert card is a valuable tool for parents of children with HD.
- The card effectively raises awareness of HAEC and improves communication between healthcare facilities.
- The HAEC alert card can be beneficial in institutions managing a high volume of HD patients.
Purpose:
Awareness of Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) among patient's families and medical staff can lead to prompt recognition of symptoms and earlier implementation of management. We designed an HAEC medical alert card to raise awareness of HAEC among medical staff and carers of children with Hirschsprung's disease (HD). Our aim was to investigate parental opinion on the utility of this tool.
Methods:
All patients diagnosed with HD in two institutions over a period of 14 years received an HAEC alert card and were invited to answer a 1-year follow-up structured questionnaire.
Results:
A total of 123 patients received an HAEC card. The response rate for the follow-up questionnaire was 62% (n = 76). The majority 96% (n = 73) of the responders considered the card useful. A total of 89% (n = 68) of patients or parents stated that they carry the card with them, while 39% (n = 30) of them have used it on 57 occasions. The majority (83%; n = 25) of these declared that, when presented, the card increased awareness among medical staff and on 53% (n = 16) occasions prompted contact with the tertiary centre.
Conclusion:
The HAEC medical card was found useful by most parents of HD patients. This tool increased awareness of HAEC and improved communication between peripheral hospitals and tertiary paediatric institutions. Therefore, we feel the HAEC alert card may be used in institutions with high HD addressability.
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