3B1 Parent information needs and experience regarding acute otitis media in children: a systematic review

  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
  • Introduction: Acute otitis media (AOM) —inflammation of the middle ear— is the most common pediatric bacterial ear infection, affecting up to 75% of children at some time before age 5 years. Despite the high incidence of AOM in children, it presents diverse challenges to parents who did not have accurate information regarding what causes AOM and its management. Further, a lack of parental knowledge regarding symptom recognition, medications, and prevention and treatment of AOM have been associated with poor health outcomes (middle ear effusion, hearing loss), which emphasizes the need for adequate educational provision for parents. To respond to this paucity of information in Canada and to inform future practices, we sought to synthesize the literature to provide a more comprehensive perspective of parental information needs and experiences relating to AOM management. Method: Four electronic databases were searched and articles were screened according to pre-established inclusion criteria. Articles were included in the review if they were examining parental information needs for AOM, and we used language (English) and date (January 2000 to date) restrictions. Results: Out of 851 articles retrieved, 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. We completed a descriptive (narrative) analysis and identified four potential and common patterns including: parents’ beliefs and knowledge about AOM; parents' attitude and knowledge about AOM treatment; information seeking behaviour; and burden of AOM on family and child quality of life. Discussion: Incorporating parental information needs into health care assessment and educational planning are essential steps toward improving parental competency in AOM management and enhancing health outcomes.

  • Date created
    2017-05-15
  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Type of Item
    Conference/Workshop Presentation
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R3RN30K8V
  • License
    Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International