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Herlitz L, Ashford E, Powell C, Herbert K, Morris S, Woodman J. Access to primary care for children and young people (CYP) in the UK: a scoping review of CYP's, caregivers' and healthcare professionals' views and experiences of facilitators and barriers. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e081620. [PMID: 38816045 PMCID: PMC11141190 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine children and young people's (CYP), caregivers' and healthcare professionals' (HCPs) views or experiences of facilitators and barriers to CYP access to UK primary care services to better understand healthcare inequity. To explore differences across CYP subpopulations with greater health needs from deprived areas, identifying as ethnic minorities, with experiences of state care, special educational needs or disabilities, chronic conditions or mental health problems. DESIGN Scoping review. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Included studies were in English, published 2012-2022 and reported: the views/experiences of CYP (0-25 years), caregivers or HCPs about accessing UK primary care; using quantitative or qualitative empirical methods. DATA SOURCES PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus. RESULTS We included 47 reports (46 studies). CYP/caregivers' decision to access care was facilitated by CYP/caregivers' or their family/friends' ability to identify a health issue as warranting healthcare attention. Barriers to accessing care included perceived stigma (eg, being seen as a bad parent), embarrassment and discrimination experiences. CYP and caregivers believed longer opening hours could facilitate more timely access to care. Caregivers and HCPs reported that delayed or rejected referrals to secondary or adult care were a barrier to having needs met, especially for CYP with poor mental health. CYP and caregivers in numerous studies emphasised the importance of communication and trust with HCPs, including taking their concerns seriously, being knowledgeable and providing continuity of care for CYP. Common barriers reported across high-need subpopulations were caregivers needing knowledge and confidence to advocate for their child, gaps in HCP's knowledge and a lack of connectedness between primary and secondary care. CONCLUSIONS Connecting general practices and community health workers/services, improving CYP/caregivers' understanding of common childhood conditions, addressing HCP's knowledge gaps in paediatric care and integrated approaches between primary and secondary care may reduce inequity in access.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Herlitz
- NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit, Population, Policy and Practice, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Emily Ashford
- Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Social Research Institute, London, UK
| | - Claire Powell
- NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit, Population, Policy and Practice, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Kevin Herbert
- Public Health & Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stephen Morris
- Public Health & Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jenny Woodman
- Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Social Research Institute, London, UK
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Neill S, Bray L, Carter B, Roland D, Carrol ED, Bayes N, Riches L, Hughes J, Pandey P, O'Donnell J, Palmer-Hill S. Navigating uncertain illness trajectories for young children with serious infectious illness: a modified grounded theory study. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:1103. [PMID: 36042434 PMCID: PMC9427158 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08420-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Infectious illness is the biggest cause of death in children due to a physical illness, particularly in children under five years. If mortality is to be reduced for this group of children, it is important to understand factors affecting their pathways to hospital. The aim of this study was to retrospectively identify organisational and environmental factors, and individual child, family, and professional factors affecting timing of admission to hospital for children under five years of age with a serious infectious illness (SII). Methods An explanatory modified grounded theory design was used in collaboration with parents. Two stages of data collection were conducted: Stage 1, interviews with 22 parents whose child had recently been hospitalised with a SII and 14 health professionals (HPs) involved in their pre-admission trajectories; Stage 2, focus groups with 18 parents and 16 HPs with past experience of SII in young children. Constant comparative analysis generated the explanatory theory. Results The core category was ‘navigating uncertain illness trajectories for young children with serious infectious illness’. Uncertainty was prevalent throughout the parents’ and HPs’ stories about their experiences of navigating social rules and overburdened health services for these children. The complexity of and lack of continuity within services, family lives, social expectations and hierarchies provided the context and conditions for children’s, often complex, illness trajectories. Parents reported powerlessness and perceived criticism leading to delayed help-seeking. Importantly, parents and professionals missed symptoms of serious illness. Risk averse services were found to refer more children to emergency departments. Conclusions Parents and professionals have difficulties recognising signs of SII in young children and can feel socially constrained from seeking help. The increased burden on services has made it more difficult for professionals to spot the seriously ill child. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08420-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Neill
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Devon, UK.,Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia
| | - Lucy Bray
- Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, UK
| | - Bernie Carter
- Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, UK.,Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Damian Roland
- Paediatric Emergency Medicine Leicester Academic (PEMLA) Group, Children's Emergency Department, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester, UK.,SAPPHIRE Group, Health Sciences, Leicester University, Leicester, UK
| | - Enitan D Carrol
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Liverpool Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
| | - Natasha Bayes
- Faculty of Health, Education and Society, University of Northampton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.
| | - Lucie Riches
- Support Services, Meningitis Now, Gloucestershire, Stroud, UK
| | - Joanne Hughes
- Mother's Instinct and Harmed Patients Alliance, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Poornima Pandey
- Department of Paediatrics, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK
| | - Jennifer O'Donnell
- Human Factors and Investigation, London City University, Cranfield University, London Cranfield, Bedfordshire, UK
| | - Sue Palmer-Hill
- Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK
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Gi A, Gouveia RH, Corte Real F, Carvalho L. Mortality due to respiratory infections: an alert study before COVID-19 pandemic. Pathologica 2022; 114:146-151. [PMID: 35481565 PMCID: PMC9248254 DOI: 10.32074/1591-951x-306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Respiratory tract infections remain a common problem in clinical practice with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Portugal, pneumonia was the third leading death cause in 2018. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing concern about the burden of respiratory diseases and preventable risk factors. The present study started before the pandemic and its aim was to determine the occurrence of pneumonia/bronchopneumonia in a postmortem series and to characterize its circumstantial context. Methods A retrospective anatomopathological study was performed on cases with acute pneumonia/bronchopneumonia at the Medicolegal Portuguese Institute (2011-2017). Results In an autopsy series of 737 patients, 521 were male and 675 presented comorbidities. The mean age was 63.87 ± 19.8 years. The most common acquisition site was community (65.1%), as natural death (65.5%). Concerning the manner of death, most cases (48.0%) were sudden deaths, followed by accidents (29.2%). A statistically significant association was observed between the medicolegal etiology and the place of infection acquisition, with higher prevalence of natural obitus (91.0%) in community-acquired pneumonia/bronchopneumonia versus higher prevalence of violent obitus in hospital-acquired pneumonia/bronchopneumonia (82.1%) (p < 0.001). Conclusions Forensic anatomopathological postmortem data may contribute to better understand community and hospital pulmonary infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Gi
- Institute of Anatomical and Molecular Pathology (IAP-PM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (FMUC), Coimbra, Portugal.,ULSNE - Unidade Local de Saúde do Nordeste, E.P.E., Portugal
| | - Rosa H Gouveia
- Institute of Anatomical and Molecular Pathology (IAP-PM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (FMUC), Coimbra, Portugal.,Forensic Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF), Coimbra, Portugal.,Pathology, Lana, Lda, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
| | - Francisco Corte Real
- Forensic Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses (INMLCF), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Lina Carvalho
- Institute of Anatomical and Molecular Pathology (IAP-PM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (FMUC), Coimbra, Portugal.,CHUC, Coimbra University Hospital, Coimbra, Portugal
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Carter B, Roland D, Bray L, Harris J, Pandey P, Fox J, Carrol ED, Neill S. A systematic review of the organizational, environmental, professional and child and family factors influencing the timing of admission to hospital for children with serious infectious illness. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236013. [PMID: 32702034 PMCID: PMC7377491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Infection, particularly in the first 5 years of life, is a major cause of childhood deaths globally, many deaths from infections such as pneumonia and meningococcal disease are avoidable, if treated in time. Some factors that contribute to morbidity and mortality can be modified. These include organisational and environmental factors as well as those related to the child, family or professional. Objective Examine what organizational and environmental factors and individual child, family and professional factors affect timing of admission to hospital for children with a serious infectious illness. Design Systematic review. Data sources Key search terms were identified and used to search CINAHL Plus, Medline, ASSIA, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Review. Study appraisal methods Primary research (e.g. quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies) and literature reviews (e.g., systematic, scoping and narrative) were included if participants included or were restricted to children under 5 years of age with serious infectious illnesses, included parents and/or first contact health care professionals in primary care, urgent and emergency care and where the research had been conducted in OECD high income countries. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to review the methodological quality of the studies. Main findings Thirty-six papers were selected for full text review; 12 studies fitted the inclusion criteria. Factors influencing the timing of admission to hospital included the variability in children’s illness trajectories and pathways to hospital, parental recognition of symptoms and clinicians non-recognition of illness severity, parental help-seeking behaviour and clinician responses, access to services, use and non-use of ‘gut feeling’ by clinicians, and sub-optimal management within primary, secondary and tertiary services. Conclusions The pathways taken by children with a serious infectious illness to hospital are complex and influenced by a variety of potentially modifiable individual, organisational, environmental and contextual factors. Supportive, accessible, respectful services that provide continuity, clear communication, advice and safety-netting are important as is improved training for clinicians and a mandate to attend to ‘gut feeling’. Implications Relatively simple interventions such as improved communication have the potential to improve the quality of care and reduce morbidity and mortality in children with a serious infectious illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernie Carter
- Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Damian Roland
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Bray
- Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Harris
- Faculty of Health, Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Poornima Pandey
- Children’s and Adolescent Services, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Kettering, United Kingdom
| | - Jo Fox
- Faculty of Health & Social Care, University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom
| | - Enitan D. Carrol
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Neill
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
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Pina JC, Moraes SAD, Freitas ICMD, Mello DFD. Role of Primary Health Care in child hospitalization due to pneumonia: a case-control study. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem 2017; 25:e2892. [PMID: 28562701 PMCID: PMC5465995 DOI: 10.1590/1518-8345.1731.2892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: to evaluate the association of primary health care and other potential factors in relation to hospitalization due to pneumonia, among children aged under five years. Method: epidemiological study with a case-control, hospital-based design, which included 345 cases and 345 controls, matched according to gender, age and hospital. Data were collected using a pre-coded questionnaire and the Primary Care Assessment Tool, analyzed by means of multivariate logistic regression, following the assumptions of a hierarchical approach. Results: the protective factors were: family income >US$216.12 (OR=0.68), weight gain during pregnancy ≥10 kg (OR=0.68), quality of Primary Health Care (OR for scores >3.41=0.57; OR for scores >3.17 and ≤3.41=0.50), gastro-esophageal reflux (OR=0.55), overweight (OR=0.37) and birth interval ≥48 months (OR=0.28). The risk factors included: parity (2 childbirths: OR=4.60; ≥3 childbirths: OR=3.25), out-of-date vaccination (OR=2.81), undernutrition (OR=2.53), history of wheezing (≥3 episodes OR=2.37; 1 episode: OR=2.13), attendance at daycare center (OR=1.67), and use of medicines over the past month (OR=1.67). Conclusion: primary health care and its child health care practices, such as nutritional monitoring, immunization, care to prevalent illnesses, prenatal care and family planning need to be prioritized to avoid child hospitalization due to pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Coelho Pina
- PhD, Adjunct Professor, Departamento de Enfermagem, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Suzana Alves de Moraes
- PhD, Associate Professor, Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Débora Falleiros de Mello
- PhD, Associate Professor, Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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Usher-Smith JA, Thompson MJ, Walter FM. 'Looking for the needle in the haystack': a qualitative study of the pathway to diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children. BMJ Open 2013; 3:e004068. [PMID: 24302510 PMCID: PMC3855567 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the pathway to diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children from the perspective of the child, family and general practitioner (GP). DESIGN Qualitative interview study. PARTICIPANTS Parents of children aged 1 month to 16 years diagnosed with new onset T1D within the previous 3 months, children over 6 years diagnosed with new onset T1D within the previous 3 months and GPs who saw those children prior to diagnosis. SETTING Children and parents were identified and recruited from two hospitals within the East of England. RESULTS The parents of 16 children (2-16 years) were interviewed. The total interval from onset of symptoms to diagnosis ranged from 6 to 127 days. The appraisal interval was the longest for almost all children and the diagnostic interval the shortest. Even with some knowledge of T1D, it took many parents several weeks of a complex cyclical and iterative decision-making process and often a physical trigger, such as weight loss, to decide to consult a healthcare professional. By that stage, many had already made or suspected the diagnosis of T1D themselves. Five GPs were interviewed. They felt that the main challenges to diagnosing T1D in children were the rarity of the condition coupled with how well most of the children appeared, and the difficulty in obtaining urine or blood samples from children. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the difficulties for parents and GPs in recognising the early symptoms of T1D. It suggests that future interventions should be targeted at parents in the appraisal interval and include the importance of timely presentation to a healthcare professional and the differences between types 1 and 2 diabetes. Primary care physicians should also take parental concerns seriously and do urine dipstick tests during the consultation for children with symptoms of T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew J Thompson
- Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Fiona M Walter
- The Primary Care Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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