ABSTRACT
Video-conferencing and remote vital signs monitors were used to provide Tele-HomeCare (THC) to children with complex healthcare needs. This paper reports the effects of THC on the health-related quality of life (QoL) of children and their parents, and the Impact on Families (IoF). A total of 63 children and their parents were enrolled in a THC trial in which they received traditional home care services and up to 6 weeks of THC. A reference group of 16 children and their parents was also recruited and received only traditional home care services. All parents completed QoL questionnaires for both their child and themselves, and the IoF scale. Complete data were available for 50 THC participants: 34 of these had no readmissions and 16 experienced multiple admissions. The reference group contained 10 participants who received standard community care. All three groups experienced similar improvements in quality of life at the time of their discharge to home after which their QoL remained stable. There were no significant differences in the IoF scores. THC is an effective clinical service that supports the transition from hospital to home at a time when the children continued to have complex care needs. Furthermore, improvements in QoL were observed for these families that were similar to those of families whose children had less intensive care needs. Moreover, the improvements were sustained beyond the termination of the THC service and were not associated with additional burden on families.
Subject(s)
Child Health Services/organization & administration , Monitoring, Ambulatory/methods , Parents/psychology , Quality of Life/psychology , Telemedicine , Chronic Disease/psychology , Chronic Disease/therapy , Communication Barriers , Community Health Services/methods , Community Health Services/organization & administration , Home Care Services/organization & administration , Humans , InfantABSTRACT
Infants and children hospitalized with complex conditions often face sudden and dramatic reduction in supervision and monitoring after discharge. A telehome care program was designed to improve the transition home for these children by integrating visiting home care services with outreach from pediatric nurses located in the hospital via videoconferencing. Children were recruited into a trial of telehome care for up to 6 weeks following discharge. Parental preference for this service was measured prior to and following participation. There were 10 enrollments in the pilot stage and 57 during the trial. These children had serious chronic conditions with comorbidity. The majority had a cardiac, respiratory, or otolaryngolic primary diagnosis. More than half of the respondents (59%) indicated strong preferences for telehome care prior to participation. The satisfaction for care delivered at home was no different from care in the hospital. There was no difference in satisfaction or preference observed by sociodemographic factors, diagnosis, or clinical circumstance. Parents with children who have significant health care needs have a strong preference for and satisfaction with telehome care. Additional evidence on costs and benefits may be important for promoting further development of this type of service.
