Analysis of patient organizations' needs and ICT use--The APTIC project in Spain to develop an online collaborative social network

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this first part of the APTIC (Patient Organisations and ICT) project is to design and run an online collaborative social network for paediatric patient organizations (PPOs).

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the needs of PPOs in Spain to identify opportunities to improve health services through the use of ICT.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A convenience sample of staff from 35 PPOs (54.68% response rate) participated in a structured online survey and three focus groups (12 PPOs).

RESULTS

Paediatric patient organizations' major needs are to provide accredited and managed information, increase personal support and assistance and promote joint commitment to health care. Moreover, PPOs believe in the Internet's potential to meet their needs and support their activities. Basic limitations to using the Internet are lack of knowledge and resources.

CONCLUSION

The discussion of the data includes key elements of designing an online collaborative social network and reflections on health services provided.

Estudio piloto de diseño de un sitio web para el bienestar de cuidadores de niños con parálisis cerebral

The objective is to present a website designed to improve the quality of life of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy and show data concerning its usefulness. The website was developed in accordance with scientific literature about caregivers’ burden. We organized the website around different sections (e.g. family communication, learning to relax) and social support forums. The interactive features of the site were designed to accommodate different caregivers’ needs and enable them to choose different pathways according to their own individual needs. Participants were 10 caregivers who took part in a pilot study and completed a questionnaire to analyze the usefulness of the website after five months using it. Preliminary results suggested that the website was useful for participants. The most useful sections were the “peer-to-peer” and the professional forums. This study shows the potential of an online intervention for parents of children with cerebral palsy.

Quality of life and mental health among parents of children with cerebral palsy: the influence of self-efficacy and coping strategies

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the quality of life and mental health of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy and to examine the impact of self-efficacy and coping strategies on these outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Few studies analyse the impact of caring for a child with cerebral palsy on the caregivers' quality of life besides mental health. Also, less attention has been paid to the influence of caregiver's personal resources like self-efficacy or coping strategies on how they adjust to the child's illness and the care situation.

DESIGN

Cross-section correlational design.

METHODS

Sixty two parents of children with cerebral palsy completed measures to assess the quality of life (i.e. physical, environmental and social relationships), mental health (i.e. general mental health, depression and anxiety), self-efficacy and coping strategies.

RESULTS

Parents of children with cerebral palsy had, in general terms, low levels of quality of life and mental health. Self-efficacy was related to most of the outcomes, whereas any of the coping strategies assessed was significantly related to the outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of life and mental health can be affected in caregivers of children with CP. Personal resources like self-efficacy also need attention as they can help in the understanding of the differences in these outcomes and the design of effective interventions. RELEVANCE OF CLINICAL PRACTICE: Self-efficacy should be a key element in interventions addressed to parents of children with CP to elicit a process of empowerment that can improve the well-being of the family as a whole.

Prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents from a Spanish slum

This paper reports rates of psychopathology in a population of 9- and 13-yr olds from a Spanish slum. Two cohorts of all the children born in 1989 and in 1993 and registered in the census of a municipality in 2001 were assessed over a 3-yr period with structured diagnostic interviews and functional measures. In the first year of the study 79 (53.7%) children of the adolescent 13-yr-old population and 72 (59.5%) of the pre-adolescent 9-yr-old population participated. Between 30% and 60% of preadolescents and between 30% and 50% of adolescents presented some mental disorder. Anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders were the most frequent disorders in both cohorts. For both genders, the highest risk for any psychopathology was at 10 yr. We found that, psychopathology and functional impairment decreased with age, and that the psychopathology of children in a peripheral slum of a big city is 3 times higher than the median of the general population. This information should be useful for administrators providing services for children from the most disadvantaged segment of the population.

Predictors of functional impairment in children and adolescents

The goal of this study was to investigate the variables that best predict functional impairment in children and adolescents. Two hundred and eight psychiatric and 129 pediatric children aged 7 to 17 years were assessed with measures of psychopathology, functional impairment, temperament, marital discord, educational style, coping, developmental milestones, stressful life events, medical history, school information, and family history of psychopathology. Multiple regression models adjusted by psychopathology were estimated. The global model, which included all the significant variables in partial models, revealed the following predictors of impairment: receiving review lessons, chronic disease or handicap, the presence of problems the child interpreted as stressful, late onset and long duration of psychopathological problems. These indicators could be useful for the proper identification of children with severe difficulties, in order to provide them with adequate psychological services.