Approaching Parents to Take Part in a Cleft Gene Bank: A Qualitative Pilot Study

Exploring parents' attitudes towards a multicentre cohort study of children with burns injuries: A qualitative interview study

Background

Burn injuries affect more than 60,000 children every year in the UK, with many experiencing scarring as a result. Scarring can be highly variable, and research is required to explore the factors that may influence variability, as well as the psychosocial impact of these injuries on children and their caregivers. A multicentre burns cohort study is being planned to investigate genetic determinants of scarring and long-term psychosocial outcomes. Public involvement (PI) is an essential element of the design and feasibility stages of this planning. As part of this work, this study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of parents’ attitudes towards participation in burns research, specifically a longitudinal cohort study of children with small burns (<10% total body surface area [TBSA]).

Methods

In total, 16 parents of children with burns took part in semi-structured interviews regarding their experiences of taking part in research and their attitudes towards the potential future cohort study. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Results

Four themes were identified: ‘Acknowledging trauma’; ‘Aligning research with experience’; ‘Research as a reciprocal relationship’; and ‘Contributing to change’.

Discussion

These four themes represent factors that parents suggested were important for acceptability, relevance, recruitment and retention of participants into a longitudinal multicentre cohort study of children with a burn injury and their caregivers.

Conclusion

The findings of this study will be incorporated into the design of such a study, as well as having wide reaching relevance for research in the field of paediatric burn injuries.

Lay Summary

Background to this subject

More than 60,000 children experience a burn injury every year in the UK and many of these injuries lead to scarring. We know that the extent of this scarring can vary, and we know that some children and their parents/caregivers manage well but others struggle with the challenges they face after having a burn. Researchers would like to carry out research on these topics, including asking participants to take part in research over several years to find out how genetics might influence scarring, as well as their psychological experiences over this time. Before they conduct this study, it is very important that researchers understand parents' attitudes towards this kind of research. The current study aimed to find out parents' opinions and ask what issues were important to them when taking part in burns research.

Details of how the work was conducted

Parents of children who had experienced a scald (a type of burn injury) were asked to take part in a research interview. In total, 16 parents took part in this study. We recorded these interviews and analysed them, looking for patterns and shared experiences in participants' interviews.

What we did and did not learn from this study

We found four themes in the interview data: ‘Acknowledging trauma', ‘Aligning research with experience', ‘Research as a reciprocal relationship', and ‘Contributing to change'. Overall, these themes suggest that parents were mostly supportive of a ‘burns cohort study’, but they have also highlighted some important considerations for this research and other future burns research studies.

Achieving Consensus in the Measurement of Psychological Adjustment to Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Background

Psychological adjustment to cleft lip/palate is multifaceted and can fluctuate over time and across different situations. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of adjustment is difficult to capture, and the challenge of achieving consensus among researchers and clinicians regarding key constructs and processes is considerable. Numerous measures have been used in research and clinical audit, resulting in conflicting findings and difficulties in evidencing the value of psychological intervention. The launch of the world's largest cleft lip/palate cohort study has provided an opportunity to standardize data collection across the United Kingdom.

Objective

To describe the collaborative process used to achieve consensus in the academic and clinical measurement of psychological adjustment to cleft lip/palate.

Results

Extensive work based on existing literature and clinical experience has resulted in a conceptual framework comprising six domains of adjustment and corresponding risk/protective factors that are measureable across key developmental time points. Driven by this framework, a core pack of standardized measures has been selected according to psychometric properties, clinical utility, and pragmatic considerations.

Conclusions

To date, these measures have been implemented within a UK-wide longitudinal cohort study (at diagnosis, 18 months, 3 years, 5 years, and 8 years) and adopted into the national routine clinical audit protocol for cleft lip/palate at age 5. Further data collection points will follow as the cohorts age. Over time, consistency in data collection will allow researchers to address some of the key unanswered questions in relation to psychological adjustment to cleft lip/palate.

Opportunities and Challenges in Establishing a Cohort Study: An Example from Cleft Lip/Palate Research in the United Kingdom

Background

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is one of the most common birth conditions in the world, but little is known about its causes. Professional opinion remains divided as to which treatments may be the most beneficial for patients with CL/P, and the factors that contribute to psychological adjustment are poorly understood. The use of different methodological approaches and tools plays a key role in hampering efforts to address discrepancies within the evidence base. A new UK-wide program of research, The Cleft Collective, was established to combat many of these methodological challenges and to address some of the key research questions important to all CL/P stakeholders.

Objective

To describe the establishment of CL/P cohort studies in the United Kingdom and to consider the many opportunities this resource will generate.

Results

To date, protocols have been developed and implemented within most UK cleft teams. Biological samples, environmental information, and data pertaining to parental psychological well-being and child development are being collected successfully. Recruitment is currently on track to meet the ambitious target of approximately 9800 individuals from just more than 3000 families.

Conclusions

The Cleft Collective cohort studies represent a significant step forward for research in the field of CL/P. The data collected will form a comprehensive resource of information about individuals with CL/P and their families. This resource will provide the basis for many future projects and collaborations, both in the United Kingdom and around the world.

Starting a Family: The Experience of Parents with Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Background

One of the key challenges facing young adults with cleft lip and/or palate is making decisions about starting a family, because there is an increased likelihood of their own child being diagnosed with cleft lip and/or palate. Should this occur, a second key challenge is how to deal with their child's diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Objective

To explore the views, experiences and possible support needs of this unique group of parents in order to inform the services provided by nonspecialist Health Professionals, cleft teams, and genetic counselors.

Design

Individual telephone interviews eliciting qualitative data.

Results

Qualitative thematic analysis identified five themes. Accessing accurate information and appropriate support around heritability presented a significant challenge. Parents described feelings of responsibility and distress at their child's diagnosis, as well as a number of factors that had helped or hindered their adjustment. Parents also described ways in which their own experiences had impacted their parenting style and how becoming a parent had changed the way they felt about their own cleft.

Conclusions

Young adults' understanding of what it means to grow up with cleft lip and/or palate may impact their decision to start a family and their experiences of having children. Possible methods of supporting prospective parents through this potentially difficult stage will be discussed.

Parenting a Child with a Cleft: The Father's Perspective

Objective

To explore the impact of having a child born with a cleft lip and/or palate from the father's perspective.

Design

Individual qualitative telephone interviews.

Participants

A total of 15 fathers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate were recruited throughout the U.K. via advertisements.

Results

Supported by a number of subthemes, four overarching themes were identified: variations in care and support; appraisals of the cleft; perceptions of treatment; and looking back and moving forward.

Conclusions

Fathers reported experiences comparable to those previously reported by mothers, in addition to a number of further support and information needs. Participants played a key role in supporting their families through the treatment process, yet fathers are underrepresented in the research literature. Recommendations are made for the adequate inclusion of fathers in future research and in relation to methods of support for fathers through their children's diagnosis and treatment.

The management of dental caries in primary teeth - involving service providers and users in the design of a trial

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of evidence for the effective management of dental caries in children's primary teeth. The trial entitled 'Filling Children's Teeth: Indicated Or Not?' (FiCTION) was designed to examine the clinical and cost effectiveness, in primary dental care, of three different approaches to the management of caries in primary teeth. However, before the FiCTION main trial commenced, a pilot trial was designed. Service provider (dentists and other members of the team including dental nurses and practice managers) and participant (child participants and their parents) involvement was incorporated into the pilot trial. The aim of this study is to describe service providers' and users' perspectives on the pilot trial to identify improvements to the conduct and design of the FiCTION main trial.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews (individual and group) were held with dentists, dental team members, children and parents involved in the FiCTION pilot trial. Individual interviews were held with four dentists and a group interview was held with 17 dental team members. Face-to-face interviews were held with four parents and children (four- to eight-years old) representing the three arms of the trial and five telephone interviews were conducted with parents. All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Framework analysis was used.

RESULTS

Overall, service providers, children and parents found the pilot trial to be well conducted and an interesting experience. Service providers highlighted the challenges of adhering to research protocols, especially managing the documentation and undertaking new clinical techniques. They indicated that the time and financial commitments were greater than they had anticipated. Particular difficulties were found recruiting suitable patients within the timeframe. For parents recruitment was apparently more related to trusting their dentist than the content of information packs. While some of the older children understood what a study was, others did not understand or were not aware they were enrolled.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provided valuable recommendations to improve the method of recruitment of dental practices and patients, the timing and content of the training, the type of support dentists would value and ways to further engage children and parents in the FiCTION main trial.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN77044005.