Meeting the Needs of Parents of Children With Scoliosis: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Needs of parents with children with scoliosis are complex and depend on their child's treatments. The purpose of this study was to identify needs of parents with children with scoliosis. This qualitative description involved interviews with parents of children at various stages of treatment.

A Typology of Transition Readiness for Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease in Preparation for Transfer from Pediatric to Adult Care.

Purpose: To understand the effectiveness of a nurse-led transition intervention by analyzing qualitative data generated in the context of a clinical trial.

Design & Methods: Qualitative study of a two-session transition intervention conducted by registered nurses at two sites. Adolescents aged 16-17 years with moderate or complex congenital heart disease (CHD) had been randomized to a two-session transition intervention or usual care.

Timelines for returning to physical activity following pediatric spinal surgery: recommendations from the literature and preliminary data.

Objective: Participation in physical activity and sports is known to have positive implications for physical health, and for social and emotional wellbeing of children. Following corrective spinal surgery for scoliosis, the timeline for the return to activities and sports varies from surgeon to surgeon and from location to location, and return to activities can be limited due to pain, fear, and decreased flexibility. It is critical that patients know best-practice guidelines, and it is equally critical that medical professionals know whether their patients are following those guidelines.

An Evaluation of the Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Model.

Background: The Decision-Making Capacity Assessment (DMCA) Model includes a best-practice process and tools to assess DMCA, and implementation strategies at the organizational and assessor levels to support provision of DMCAs across the care continuum. A Developmental Evaluation of the DMCA Model was conducted.

Methods: A mixed methods approach was used.

Managing Responsive Behaviours: A Wicked Problem Addressed through a Grassroots Approach.

Challenging responsive behaviours, such as aggression, wandering and social inappropriateness, exhibited by persons with neurological, mental health or developmental disorders are of increasing concern across Canada. These behaviours can cause distress or catastrophic outcomes for the person, others in care, caregivers and healthcare providers, and result in extensive resource utilization. The objective of this paper is to discuss the role and impact of a unique, grassroots provincial initiative aimed at networking among healthcare providers, decision-makers and caregivers across government ministries and service-provider agencies.

Parental Vigilance in Caring for Their Children with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a complex heart malformation that requires life-saving treatments. Parents experience numerous challenges as they learn to parent a child with complex care requirements. The following research question guided this qualitative study: Is the parenting process among parents of a child with HLHS characterized by exaggerated vigilant parental action, and if so, how does this influence parental response? Situated within a larger program of pediatric cardiology research, this study included data from two grounded theory studies with parents of children with HLHS.

Parenting under pressure: a grounded theory of parenting young children with life-threatening congenital heart disease.

Aim: To report a grounded theory study to describe the process of parenting young children who have survived hypoplastic left heart syndrome to inform parent-focused interventions.

Background: Technological advances in paediatric cardiology worldwide have improved the survival rates for young children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who undergo staged surgical palliation. These children, however, are at risk for life-threatening complications and parents are charged with the responsibility to monitor their children at home with minimal support and guidance from healthcare professionals once home.

Facets of parenting a child with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The purpose of the study was to conceptualize the needs of parents of young children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) to provide a theoretical framework to inform the development of future parent interventions. Participants were parents and grandparents (n = 53) of 15 young children who had undergone the Sano surgical approach for HLHS. Analysis of recorded and transcribed single interviews with each participant was done as directed by interpretive description methodology.

The process of family management when a baby is diagnosed with a lethal congenital condition.

The Family Management Style Framework (FMSF) was used as a conceptual basis for secondary data analysis of 55 previously conducted interviews with mothers and fathers of children with a lethal congenital condition from two surgical treatment eras. The directed content analysis was guided by a coding structure developed from family management dimensions identified in prior research of family response to childhood chronic conditions. Results indicated that application of the FMSF was helpful in differentiating families and their processes of family management at the onset of their infant's illness through to surviving the first surgery and going home.