Parents' experiences of caring for a child with a tracheostomy v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Parents' experiences of caring for a child with a tracheostomy
IRAS ID
206449
Contact name
Jessica Davies
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bangor University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 20 days
Research summary
Background
Increasing numbers of children are now living with a tracheostomy, most of whom are being cared for in their own homes. As a result, parents have become involved in providing highly technical and intensive care to their children which was previously conisdered to be the domain of health care professionals. Research suggests that caring for a technology dependent child at home can be stressful, anxiety provoking and exhausting for parents and that it changes the meaning of parenting due to the need to provide nursing care for their child. However, to date there is little evidence about the specific impact of looking after a child with a tracheostomy at home despite the invasive, potentially life-threatening nature of the tracheostomy and the burden of responsibility placed on the parents.Aim
The primary aim of the study is to explore and understand the experiences of parents/carers caring for a child with a tracheostomy at home. It is hoped that if we can understand more about parents’ experiences of caring for a child with a tracheostomy such information will help clinicians to provide optimal, targeted support for families.Methods
Parents of children who had a tracheostomy at Great Ormond Street Hospital at least 12 months previously and who have been caring for their child with a tracheostomy at home for at least 6 months will be eligible to participate. Six to eight eligible parents will be invited to participate in an interview to explore their experiences related to their child's tracheostomy. It is envisaged that interviews will last approximately 60-90 minutes and they will be audiorecorded for later transcription. Interview transcripts will be analysed to identify key themes related to their experiences.
The findings will be disseminated widely through presentations, publications and a report back to participants.REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
16/WA/0253
Date of REC Opinion
31 Aug 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion