Title
Parents' decision for helmet therapy ion infants with skull deformation
Author
van Wijk, R.M.
van Til, J.A.
Groothuis-Oudshoorn, C.G.M.
L' Hoir, M.P.
Boere-Boonekamp, M.M.
IJzerman, M.J.
Publication year
2014
Abstract
Purpose. Helmet therapy is regularly prescribed in infants with positional skull deformation. Evidence on the effectiveness is lacking, which complicates decision making. This study aims to assess the relation between parents’ decision for treatment of skull deformation in their infant and their level of anxiety, decisional conflict, expectations of treatment effect, perceived severity of deformation and perceived side effects. Methods. Parents of 5-month-old infants with skull deformation were invited to participate in a survey. Data collection included background characteristics, anthropometric assessment, parent-reported outcomes, decision for treatment (helmet therapy or awaiting natural course), decisional conflict scale and questions about perceived (side) effects of helmet therapy. Factors significantly correlated with treatment decision (p < 0.1) were tested in a multiple logistic regression analysis. Results. The results of 186 respondents were included in the analysis. Parental satisfaction with their infant’s head shape (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.2; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.1 to 0.4), expected effect of helmet therapy compared to natural course (aOR 13.4; 95 % CI 5.0 to 36.1) and decision uncertainty (aOR 1.0; 95 % CI 0.9 to 1.0; p = .03) were related to the decision for helmet therapy in infants with skull deformation. Conclusion. With the outcomes of this study, we can better understand parental decision-making for elective ‘normalizing’ treatments in children, such as helmet therapy in infants with skull deformation. Health care professionals should address the parents’ perception of the severity of skull deformation and their expectations of helmet therapy. Furthermore, they can support parents in decision-making by balancing medical information with parents’ expectations, values and beliefs.
Subject
Behavioural Changes
CH - Child Health
ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
Healthy for Life
Health
Healthy Living
Infants
Skull deformation
Helmet therapy
Parental decision-making
Elective treatment
Elective treatment
Helmet therapy
Anthropometric parameters
Anxiety
Brachycephaly
Clinical effectiveness
Cohort analysis
Conflict
Controlled study
Decision uncertainty
Disease severity
Expectation
Family decision making
Female
Follow up
Health survey
Helmet
Infant
Infant disease
Major clinical study
Male
Outcome assessment
Parent
Parental satisfaction
Plagiocephaly
Priority journal
Randomized controlled trial
Satisfaction
Skull malformation
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:87f02a85-7fa9-4ec1-a243-bd43eb6d877b
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-014-2399-2
TNO identifier
490417
Source
Child's Nervous System, 30 (7), 1225-1232
Document type
article