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Parental satisfaction with follow‐up services for children with major anatomical congenital anomalies
Author(s) -
Van Dijk M.,
Poley M. J.,
Gischler S. J.,
Mazer P.,
IJsselstijn H.,
Tibboel D.,
Latour J. M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.01014.x
Subject(s) - medicine , helpline , quarter (canadian coin) , multidisciplinary team , family medicine , pediatrics , unit (ring theory) , nursing , psychology , emergency medicine , mathematics education , archaeology , history
Background Since 1999 a multidisciplinary follow‐up programme for parents and children with major anatomical congenital anomalies is in place in our hospital, run by a dedicated team. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the services of this team from a parental perspective. Methods Parents completed a questionnaire including open and closed questions about satisfaction with the various professional disciplines involved in the follow‐up, statements on usefulness of the follow‐up services and suggestions for improvement. Results Four hundred and sixty‐nine surveys were sent out, of which 71% were returned. Non‐responding parents included significantly more parents of non‐Dutch origin ( P = 0.038) and parents who never responded to invitations for follow‐up examinations ( P < 0.001). Parental satisfaction differed for the various disciplines. Eighty per cent of the parents were (very) satisfied with the social worker, compared with 92% with nurses. More than half of the parents agreed that the follow‐up services give peace of mind. Almost a quarter of parents, however, considered the follow‐up services as redundant. The children of these parents had significantly shorter intensive care unit stay ( P = 0.02), were older at the time of the questionnaire ( P = 0.04), of higher socio‐economic status ( P = 0.001) and less likely to be of non‐Dutch origin ( P = 0.008). Sixty‐one per cent of the parents had contacted the 24‐h helpline. Ninety per cent of the parents were satisfied with the intensive care unit, almost 80% with the general ward. Conclusion Overall, parents were satisfied with the services of the follow‐up team. Some parents, however, saw room for improvement related to better communication, recognizability of the team and better planning and organization.