Publications by authors named "Bertsche A"
Background: Medication handling errors (ME) in long-term antiseizure medication (ASM) compromise patient safety. Training programs to prevent those errors by parents are scarce.
Patients: The intervention concept is designed for parents of children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with at least one long-term ASM.
Article Synopsis
- * Data showed that by the third annual follow-up, a significant number of ADHD drug users (40%) were below the 25th percentile for weight, with notable decreases in both height and weight z-scores.
- * Results indicate that prolonged use of ADHD medications may correlate with lower body height and weight compared to non-users, suggesting a need for further investigation into these effects.
Background: Compared to intensive care unit patients with SARS-CoV-2 negative acute respiratory tract infections, patients with SARS-CoV-2 are supposed to develop more frequently and more severely neurologic sequelae. Delirium and subsequent neurocognitive deficits (NCD) have implications for patients' morbidity and mortality. However, the extent of brain injury during acute COVID-19 and subsequent NCD still remain largely unexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To investigate the impact of children's inborn error of metabolism (IEMs) on the children's and their parents' lives from the parents' perspective. We focused on disease-related restrictions in various issues of daily life, experienced discrimination, parental family planning, and management of metabolic emergencies.
Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based survey with 108 parents of 119 children with IEM who attended a metabolic outpatient clinic.
Background: Children treated in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often receive several drugs together, among them drugs defined as high-alert medications (HAMs). Those drugs carry a high risk of causing patient harm, for example, due to a higher potential for interactions. HAMs should therefore be administered with caution, especially in a PICU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Depending on the underlying etiology and epilepsy type, the burden of disease for patients with seizures can vary significantly. This analysis aimed to compare direct and indirect costs and quality of life (QoL) among adults with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) related with epilepsy, idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), and focal epilepsy (FE) in Germany.
Methods: Questionnaire responses from 92 patients with TSC and epilepsy were matched by age and gender, with responses from 92 patients with IGE and 92 patients with FE collected in independent studies.
Background: Child abuse and neglect (CAN) causes enormous suffering for those affected.
Objective: The study investigated the current state of knowledge concerning the recognition of CAN and protocols for suspected cases amongst physicians and teachers.
Methods: In a pilot study conducted in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania from May 2020 to June 2021, we invited teachers and physicians working with children to complete an online questionnaire containing mainly multiple-choice-questions.
Purpose: The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) is required to provide unambiguous information on the authorized use of a medicinal product. Therefore, we performed a structured analysis of the information provided for pediatric patients in current SmPCs.
Methods: In the German SmPC of the medicinal products of 452 active substances, we analyzed for each of the listed indications whether information on pediatric use was available in Sects.
Background: to assess the intuitiveness of parents' administration of pediatric emergency devices (inhalation, rectal, buccal, nasal, and auto-injector).
Methods: We invited parents without prior experience to administer the five devices to dummy dolls. We observed whether the parents chose the correct administration route and subsequently performed the correct administration procedures without clinically relevant errors.
Problem: A seizure is a challenging situation for children with epilepsy. Little is known regarding the experience of children who perceive in advance that they are about to have a seizure.
Methods: From September 2020 to February 2021, we invited children with focal epilepsies aged 6-18 years to participate in a semi-structured interview.
Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has gained increasing attention as a supportive treatment for chronic diseases such as epilepsy, migraine, autism, and cancer in children. This study aimed to determine the frequency, motivation, and outcomes of CAM in children with functional constipation.
Methods: From January 2018 till September 2019, parents of patients (0-18 years) who were treated for functional constipation (ROME IV-criteria) at our colorectal center were asked to complete a questionnaire on the utilization of CAM.
Mutations within the Kv7.2 and Kv7.3 genes are well described causes for genetic childhood epilepsies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed to explore parents' perceptions of their children's medication use for inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), including the importance of medication intake, potential complications, and concerns about adverse drug reactions (ADR). Additionally, we aimed to determine expert-assessed clinically relevant drug-related problems, particularly those attributable to IEM. We interviewed 108 parents of 119 pediatric patients with IEM using a questionnaire relating to their perceptions regarding their children's IEM medication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to explore how caregivers of patients with Dravet syndrome (DS) monitor critical incidents and their knowledge about sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
- It involved a cross-sectional survey in Germany that collected data through questionnaires and diaries from 108 patients and their 82 caregivers, revealing that 75.9% of caregivers used monitoring devices regularly, including pulse oximeters and baby monitors.
- While caregivers were mostly informed about SUDEP and engaged in various nighttime interventions, only a small percentage received formal resuscitation training, highlighting a potential gap in emergency preparedness.
Problem: Experiencing a child's seizure can be challenging for parents.
Methods: We investigated parental experiences of their child's first seizure and how their perception and management of seizures changed over time. From September 2020 to March 2021, we invited parents who had witnessed at least two of their child's seizures to take part in a semi-structured interview.
Background: Parents of pediatric patients with type I diabetes require competence in hypoglycemia management and skills in glucagon administration to deal with potentially life-threatening severe hypoglycemia. We aimed to compare parents' subjective self-ratings to an objective expert assessment of competences and skills in dealing with severe hypoglycemia.
Methods: We interviewed 140 participants to assess their subjective self-ratings.
Article Synopsis
- A study aimed to improve pediatric pharmacotherapy through a quality assurance measure called PaedPharm, which seeks to reduce medication-related hospitalizations in children and adolescents.
- The PaedPharm intervention included a digital drug information system, professional quality circles, and an adverse drug event reporting system, and was tested in a cluster-randomized trial across 12 regions.
- Results showed a reduction in adverse drug event-related hospitalizations, with a decrease from 4.1% to 3.1%, but the results were not statistically significant; however, the intervention was well-accepted by healthcare providers.
Article Synopsis
- This study examined sleep quality among caregivers of patients with Dravet syndrome (DS) and explored how mental health issues and caregiver burden impact their sleep.
- Involving 108 questionnaires and 82 diaries, results indicated that a significant majority (76.9%) of caregivers reported poor sleep quality, and many experienced high levels of anxiety (61.8%) and depression (50.9%).
- The findings suggest that caregiver anxiety and patients' sleep disturbances are significant factors influencing sleep quality, highlighting the need for a comprehensive support system addressing both patients' and caregivers' mental health and sleep needs.
Background: Owing to complex treatment, critically ill children may experience alterations in their vital parameters. We investigated whether such hemodynamic alterations were temporally and causally related to drug therapy.
Methods: In a university pediatric intensive care unit, we retrospectively analyzed hemodynamic alterations defined as values exceeding the limits set for heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP).
To assess the use of oral contraceptives (OC) in adolescents, using data from a longitudinal, population-based pediatric cohort study (LIFE Child). We also investigated associations between OC use and socioeconomic status (SES), and associations between OC use and potential adverse drug reactions such as effects on blood pressure. We included 609 female participants of the LIFE Child cohort, aged ≥13 to <21 years, who visited the study center between 2012 and 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Cannabidiol (CBD) is approved for treatment of Dravet syndrome (DS), Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Several studies suggest antiseizure effects also beyond these three epilepsy syndromes.
Methods: In a retrospective multicenter study, we analyzed the efficacy and tolerability of CBD in patients with epilepsy at 16 epilepsy centers.
Aim: Chronic conditions can influence the situation of healthy siblings of affected children. We investigated the opinion of the affected child about the situation of their healthy sibling and the sibling relationship.
Methods: We performed a semi-structured interview with epilepsy or asthma patients aged 6-18 years and asked them to draw a picture: "Epilepsy/Asthma, my siblings and me.
Background: The development and approval of disease modifying treatments have dramatically changed disease progression in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Nusinersen was approved in Europe in 2017 for the treatment of SMA patients irrespective of age and disease severity. Most data on therapeutic efficacy are available for the infantile-onset SMA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProblem: Many studies focus on knowledge and attitudes of unaffected people towards epilepsy and people with epilepsy (PWE). The perspective of PWE themselves is much less explored.
Methods: We invited PWE in Germany to answer a questionnaire on their knowledge and attitudes towards epilepsy and PWE.