Needs assessment survey for children and adults with spina bifida in Georgia

An Online-Based Transition Care Program for Adolescents with Spina Bifida Using Intervention Mapping: A Protocol for Program Development

Adolescents with spina bifida (SB) face challenges in their transition to adulthood due to intensive medical regimens and delayed development of independence. Despite an increasing interest in the transition of adolescents with SB to adulthood, the clinical evidence of transition care remains limited, and existing studies have focused on the effects of intervention programs. This study aims to describe the process of systematically developing an online-based transition care program for adolescents with SB using the intervention mapping (IM) protocol. IM consists of six steps: (1) logic model of the problem; (2) program objectives; (3) program design; (4) program production; (5) plan to implement the program; (6) plan for evaluation. At first, five problems faced during the transition were identified, based on which four program objectives and six program strategies were established. The online transition care program for adolescents with SB was developed as a six-week program. The main strength of this program is that it reflects the diverse perspectives of adults with SB and health care professionals and is easy to apply because it is online. We aim to further validate the feasibility of this transitional care program to evaluate its effect based on our evaluation plan.

Discrepancies in Educational Needs for Transition in Adolescents and Young Adults with Spina Bifida in South Korea: Use of the Borich Needs Assessment Model

PURPOSE

Transition is an important goal for ensuring that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with spina bifida (SB) lead autonomous lives. This study aimed to identify the educational needs of AYAs with SB based on the discrepancies between perceived importance and proficiency levels during the transition process.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face and online surveys from Jan-Dec 2020 of AYAs aged 13-25 years who had previously been diagnosed with SB. The survey consisted of 37 transition-related questions, of which 11 pertained to healthcare environments and 26 pertained to transition education needs SPSS and Excel were used for statistical analysis. Transition educational needs were analyzed by the Borich Needs Assessment Model. Higher the mean weighted discrepancy scores, lower the proficiency as compared to the perceived importance, indicating that the educational needs were high.

RESULTS

Overall, 108 responses were analyzed, and 56 (51.9%) AYAs were diagnosed with lipomyelomeningocele. The highest ranked educational needs were for "Health insurance system", "SB related urinary system diseases management", "SB related nervous system symptoms", and "Self-catheterization management". "The demands for 'SB related work life", "Urinary incontinence management", and "Constipation management" were significantly higher in young adults than adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

During the transition process, activities perceived as important by AYAs with SB may differ from the activities that they can actually perform proficiently. It is important to assess their needs based on these discrepancies.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Transition education programs are needed that consider the individual educational needs and developmental stage-specific characteristics of AYAs with SB.

Parents' Perception of Self-Management Behaviors for Their Children With Spina Bifida in South Korea: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore parents' perceptions of self-management behaviors for their children with spina bifida (SB).

DESIGN

Qualitative method.

METHODS

In-depth interviews were conducted with nine Korean parents of children with SB. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method.

FINDINGS

Parental perceptions of the experiences of self-management behaviors in children with SB were classified into risk factors that hinder self-management behaviors and protective factors that accelerate them. Each category of factors was then further classified into child-, parent-, and school-related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

To promote self-management behaviors in children with SB, reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors considering child, family, and school dimensions based on cultural differences are necessary.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Rehabilitation nurses should be considered essential healthcare providers who can offer stepwise guidance to achieve self-management behaviors in children with SB according to their stage of development.