Perceptions of Parents with Children with Congenital Heart Disease at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya
by Open Science Repository Medicine
(July 2013)
Abstract
Objectives: Congenital heart disease is the commonest congenital abnormality in the pediatric population; with advances in cardiac surgical techniques, corrections allow the affected children to lead near normal lives. However in resource limited regions the cost of these procedures are beyond the financial capabilities of most families, thus those patients with complex heart defects patients die in infancy, while those children with the less complex lesions live with uncorrected lesions, with its concomitant medical, economic and psychological challenges .This study explored the views of parents whose children have congenital heart disease and the repercussions on their families.
Study design: Focused group discussion.
Methods: Fifteen parents, whose children had congenital heart disease and were attending the pediatric cardiology clinic at the Moi teaching and cardiology clinic during the study period 2011 to 2012, were randomly picked from the telephone pool. They were divided into two groups consisting of mothers and fathers; piloted open ended questions were used to conduct the discussion.
Results: All the children who were due for surgery had not received it, this is because the parents were financial unable to meet the costs. The uncorrected nature of these conditions necessitated frequent hospitalizations, leading to financial challenges and uncertainty. Parents and their families were struggling psychologically to come to terms with having an affected child with congenital heart disease.
Conclusions: Poor families must be assisted financially to access appropriate care for children with congenital heart disease. Psychological support is paramount in a pediatric cardiology clinic.
Keywords: congenital heart disease, resource scarcity, psychological and financial challenges.
Full text
Perceptions of Parents with Children with Congenital Heart Disease at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya