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Abell B, Rodwell D, Eagleson KJ, Parsonage W, Auld B, Bora S, Kasparian NA, Justo R, McPhail SM. "It's more than just a conversation about the heart": exploring barriers, enablers, and opportunities for improving the delivery and uptake of cardiac neurodevelopmental follow-up care. Front Pediatr 2024; 12:1364190. [PMID: 38863525 PMCID: PMC11165703 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1364190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Surveillance, screening, and evaluation for neurodevelopmental delays is a pivotal component of post-surgical care for children with congenital heart disease (CHD). However, challenges exist in implementing such neurodevelopmental follow-up care in international practice. This study aimed to characterise key barriers, enablers, and opportunities for implementing and delivering outpatient cardiac neurodevelopmental follow-up care in Australia. Methods an exploratory descriptive qualitative study was conducted with healthcare professionals across Australia who had lived experience of designing, implementing, or delivering neurodevelopmental care for children with CHD. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted using a guide informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to explore contextual influences. Interview transcripts were analysed using a rapid qualitative approach including templated summaries and hybrid deductive-inductive matrix analysis. Results fifty-two participants were interviewed. Perceived barriers and enablers were organised into six higher-order themes: factors in the broader environmental, economic, and political context; healthcare system factors; organisational-level factors; provider factors; patient and family factors; and care model factors. The largest number of barriers occurred at the healthcare system level (service accessibility, fragmentation, funding, workforce), while service providers demonstrated the most enabling factors (interprofessional relationships, skilled teams, personal characteristics). Strategies to improve practice included building partnerships; generating evidence; increasing funding; adapting for family-centred care; and integrating systems and data. Discussion Australia shares many similar barriers and enablers to cardiac neurodevelopmental care with other international contexts. However, due to unique geographical and health-system factors, care models and implementation strategies will require adaption to the local context to improve service provision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Abell
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Facultyof Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - David Rodwell
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Facultyof Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety—Queensland (CARRS-Q), School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Karen J. Eagleson
- Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Service, Queensland Children’s Hospital, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - William Parsonage
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Facultyof Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ben Auld
- Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Service, Queensland Children’s Hospital, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Samudragupta Bora
- Health Services Research Center, University Hospitals Research & Education Institute and Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Nadine A. Kasparian
- Heart and Mind Wellbeing Center, Heart Institute and the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Robert Justo
- Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Service, Queensland Children’s Hospital, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Steven M. McPhail
- Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Public Health and Social Work, Facultyof Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Teo T, Koh HC, Mohd Zambri N, Zaccario ML, Sossin KM, Wong CM. Ethnic Group Differences in the Timing of Autism Diagnosis, Intellectual Disability, and Educational Placement of Autistic Children in Singapore. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024:10.1007/s40615-024-01957-7. [PMID: 38489087 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-01957-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
AIM Given Singapore's distinct multicultural identity, this study examined the hypotheses that there may be ethnic group differences in diagnosis and outcomes in autistic children in Singapore. METHODS Retrospective data were obtained from medical records of all children born between 2008 and 2011 who were diagnosed with clinical or confirmed autism. One-way ANOVAs and regression analyses were used to analyze data. RESULTS Data from 2577 medical records were extracted. There were more boys (82.5%) and ethnic group distribution was Chinese (67%), Malay (14%), Indian (10%), and Others (10%). Chinese children were more likely to present at a developmental clinic with concerns 3-4 months younger compared to Malay children and those from Other Races (F(3, 2038) = 9.58, p < .001, Cohen's F = 0.12). Chinese children were also more likely to receive an autism diagnosis approximately 3 months younger compared to Malay children. Fewer autistic Chinese children were diagnosed with co-occurring intellectual disability (13.1%) while there were almost twice more Malay children than expected with co-occurring intellectual disability (29.9%) (χ2 (3) = 55.17, p < .001). There are correspondingly more Malay children on the autism spectrum who attend special education schools. Possible confounding variables such as household income level and mother's level of education were identified in some of these findings. CONCLUSION Several significant ethnic group differences in autistic children in Singapore exist that warrant more investigation into possible causes and support systems needed, with implications for other ethnically diverse nations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hwan Cui Koh
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | | | | | - Chui Mae Wong
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore, Singapore.
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Boulton KA, Hodge A, Levu K, Ong N, Silove N, Guastella AJ. Access and barriers to supports for children and caregivers attending public child developmental assessment services: Findings from the Sydney child neurodevelopment research registry. Autism Res 2024; 17:555-567. [PMID: 38009266 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Families can spend years waiting for a developmental assessment. We sought to understand supports caregivers had accessed by the time of their child's first multi-disciplinary developmental assessment, the supports caregivers wanted, and the barriers caregivers reported to accessing these supports. We also sought to understand how government funding schemes (the National Disability Insurance Scheme) and sociodemographic factors influenced access to supports. Caregivers were emailed questionnaires on sociodemographic background and intervention history prior to their child's developmental assessment at a tertiary diagnostic and assessment service. Results from 202 caregivers showed most children were receiving less than 2 hours of support each week at assessment. The most common accessed supports were from general practitioners and pediatricians. Caregivers reported behavioral therapists (41%) and psychologists (29%) as the most desired but inaccessible child supports. Half of caregivers nominated a need for parenting interventions. The most frequent barriers to accessing child supports were wait lists, finance, and knowledge. Government funding improved access to the total number of services received (from 2.7 to 5.2 different services), but for disability specific services only (e.g., speech and occupational therapy). Results highlighted disparities for families without government funding, impacting certain groups (e.g., children over 7 years) and services (e.g., mental health). Socioeconomic disadvantage, parental separation, and, surprisingly, being from a non-culturally/linguistically diverse background were associated with fewer services and more barriers. Results highlight the need to facilitate access to supports for families to align with existing recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsie A Boulton
- Clinic for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAN) research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Antoinette Hodge
- Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Child Development Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Australia
| | - Kelera Levu
- Clinic for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAN) research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Natalie Ong
- Child Development Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Australia
| | - Natalie Silove
- Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Child Development Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Australia
| | - Adam J Guastella
- Clinic for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAN) research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
- Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
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Mahabee-Gittens EM, Harun N, Glover M, Folger AT, Parikh NA. Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and risk for cognitive delays in infants born very premature. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1397. [PMID: 38228701 PMCID: PMC10791619 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51263-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) and prematurity are independent risk factors for abnormal neurodevelopment. The objectives were to compare differences in Bayley-III cognitive, language, and motor scores at 2 years corrected age (CA) in 395 infants born very preterm (≤ 32 weeks gestation) with and without prenatal TSE. We performed multivariable linear regression analyses to examine associations between prenatal TSE and neurodevelopmental outcomes and a mediation analysis to estimate direct effects of prenatal TSE on outcomes and indirect effects through preterm birth. In total, 50 (12.6%) infants had prenatal TSE. Infants with prenatal TSE had lower mean [95% CI] Cognitive score (82.8 [78.6, 87.1]) vs. nonexposed infants (91.7 [90.1, 93.4]). In children with and without prenatal TSE, there were significant differences in mean [95% CI] Language scores (81.7 [76.0, 87.4] vs. 92.4 [90.2, 94.6], respectively) and mean [95% CI] Motor scores (86.5 [82.2, 90.7] vs. 93.4 [91.8, 95.0], respectively); scores remained significant after controlling for confounders. Preterm birth indirectly mediated 9.0% of the total effect of prenatal TSE on Cognitive score (P = NS). However, 91% of the remaining total effect was significant and attributable to TSE's direct harmful effects on cognitive development (β = - 5.17 [95% CI - 9.97, - 0.38]). The significant association is largely due to TSE's direct effect on cognitive development and not primarily due to TSE's indirect effect on preterm birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Melinda Mahabee-Gittens
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
| | - Nusrat Harun
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Meredith Glover
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, The Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Alonzo T Folger
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Nehal A Parikh
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders Prevention Center, The Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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