Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 27, 2025
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Adaptation and Feasibility of the interRAI Family Carer Needs Assessment in a Pediatric Setting
Ioana A Stochitoiu1, Christina Vadeboncoeur2,3
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Insights
Family carers of children with serious illness need better support. A new assessment tool shows promise in identifying their diverse needs, including relief from caregiving and housing adaptations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Family Caregiving Studies
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Family carers provide extensive medical care for children with serious illnesses.
- Assessing the needs and support systems for these family carers is not standard practice.
- Existing assessment tools may not fully capture the unique challenges faced by pediatric family carers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the interRAI Family Carer Needs Assessment for its effectiveness in capturing the needs of family carers of children with serious illness.
- To identify potential improvements and pediatric-specific adaptations for the assessment tool.
- To explore the feasibility of using a comprehensive assessment in identifying carer needs.
Main Methods:
- A prospective pilot study involving 30 family carers of children with serious illness at a pediatric hospice.
- Participants completed the interRAI Family Carer Needs Assessment self-assessment form.
- Qualitative feedback was gathered on the tool's appropriateness and any missing pediatric-relevant information.
Main Results:
- The assessment tool successfully captured important information across multiple domains for family carers.
- Participants identified the need for additional questions on extra costs, home/school support, and impacts on pain/relationships.
- The most common unmet needs identified were episodic relief from caregiving for carers (n=17) and housing adaptation for care recipients (n=17).
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive assessment tool is feasible for identifying the diverse needs of family carers for seriously ill children.
- The interRAI Family Carer Needs Assessment shows potential but requires pediatric-specific adaptations.
- Future research should utilize pediatric-specific interRAI tools to inform policy and practice improvements for unmet carer needs.
Abstract:
Family carers of children with serious illness contribute many hours of medical care in addition to usual daily care. Assessing the needs and supports of family carers is not routine practice. This study is the first to utilize the interRAI Family Carer Needs Assessment in carers of children, seeking to evaluate and improve its ability to capture their needs. This is a prospective pilot study of family carers of children with serious illness receiving care at a pediatric hospice. Thirty carers completed the self-assessment form. Additional feedback was sought inquiring about the appropriateness of questions and missing information relevant to the pediatric setting. All participants reported the assessment captured important information across multiple domains. Additional questions surrounding extra costs, home and school supports, as well as direct impacts of caregiving activities on pain and relationships were identified as important adaptations. The most common unmet needs in carers and care recipients were episodic relief from caregiving (n=17) and housing adaptation (n=17), respectively. Overall, a comprehensive assessment form is feasible in identifying the diverse needs of family carers of children. Future research should focus on using pediatric specific interRAI tools to guide improvements in policy and practice that can address unmet needs.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities
01:23Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like...
01:29Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments...
01:19Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...