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Parental Factors Affecting Pediatric Medication Management in Underserved Communities
Tiranun Rungvivatjarus1, Maria Z Huang1, Britanny Winckler2
1Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego (T Rungvivatjarus, MZ Huang, S Chen, ES Fisher, KE Rhee), San Diego, Calif; Rady Children's Hospital (T Rungvivatjarus, MZ Huang, ES Fisher, KE Rhee), San Diego, Calif.
Insights
Parental factors like limited health literacy and poor communication significantly impact pediatric medication management. Addressing these issues in underserved communities is crucial for reducing medication errors and improving child health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Health Literacy Research
- Medication Safety
Background:
- Medication errors and adverse drug events are prevalent in pediatric care.
- Limited English proficiency and low health literacy correlate with poor medication adherence and adverse health outcomes.
- Underserved communities face unique challenges in pediatric medication management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parental factors influencing medication management in underserved communities.
- To identify barriers to safe and effective pediatric medication administration.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study employing focus group discussions with parents and healthcare professionals.
- Data collected from December 2019 to September 2020.
- Thematic analysis used to identify key themes impacting medication management.
Main Results:
- Four primary factors identified: 1) limited health literacy and perceived inadequacy in medication administration, 2) communication gaps (caregiver-caregiver and provider-caregiver), 3) scarcity of pediatric medication education resources, and 4) personal beliefs influencing medication decisions.
- Eleven focus groups conducted with 45 participants (18 parents in English, 11 parents in Spanish, 16 healthcare professionals).
Conclusions:
- A combination of knowledge gaps, communication issues, resource limitations, and personal beliefs increases medication error risk for children in underserved areas.
- Findings provide a basis for developing targeted interventions to optimize pediatric medication delivery and improve health outcomes.
Background:
Medication errors and adverse drug events are common in the pediatric population. Limited English proficiency and low health literacy have been associated with decreased medication adherence, increased medication errors, and worse health outcomes. This study explores parental factors affecting medication management in underserved communities.
Methods:
Using qualitative methods, we identified factors believed to affect medication management among parents. We conducted focus group discussions between December 2019 and September 2020. We recruited parents and health care professionals from local community partners and a tertiary care children's hospital. Sessions were recorded and transcribed. Three investigators created the coding scheme. Two investigators independently coded each focus group and organized results into themes using thematic analysis.
Results:
Eleven focus groups were held (n = 45): 4 English-speaking parent groups (n = 18), 3 Spanish-speaking parent groups (n = 11), and 4 health care professional groups (n = 16). We identified 4 main factors that could impact medication delivery: 1) limited health literacy among parents and feeling inadequate at medication administration (knowledge/skill gap), 2) poor communication between caregivers (regarding medication delivery, dosage, frequency, and purpose) and between providers (regarding what has been prescribed), 3) lack of pediatric medication education resources, and 4) personal attitudes and beliefs that influence one's medication-related decisions.
Conclusions:
The compounding effect of these factors - knowledge, communication, resource, and personal belief - may put families living in underserved communities at greater risk for medication errors and suboptimal health outcomes. These findings can be used to guide future interventions and may help optimize medication delivery for pediatric patients.
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