Caregivers’ knowledge and medication adherence in children with thyroid disorders: an exploratory study

Neetu Gujjar; Poonam Verma; Latika Rohilla; Shivalli Sirswal; Divya Sharma; Devi Dayal

doi:10.1515/jpem-2023-0300

Article

Caregivers’ knowledge and medication adherence in children with thyroid disorders: an exploratory study

Neetu Gujjar , Poonam Verma , Latika Rohilla , Shivalli Sirswal , Divya Sharma and Devi Dayal

Published/Copyright: October 30, 2023

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From the journal Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Volume 36 Issue 12

Abstract

Objectives

Many thyroid disorders in children demand long-term therapy. The parent’s understanding of the child’s condition is of utmost importance for adherence to treatment. The study objective was to assess the knowledge, medication adherence, reasons for non-adherence, and their relationship with various clinical parameters.

Methods

An exploratory, cross-sectional study with a total enumeration sampling technique was conducted between July 2022 and September 2022. Children and young adults aged ≤18 years who were diagnosed with a thyroid disorder and taking medications for at least 3 months were included. Data were collected by interviewing parents using the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) and structured knowledge questionnaire.

Results

Parents of 102 children were interviewed. The mean age of the children was 9.2 ± 0.4 years; 58 (57 %) were girls. The mean duration of treatment was 5.5 ± 0.3 years. Many (66 %) informants were mothers. Three-fourths (75.5 %) of parents were educated up to senior secondary and above. Most (91.2 %) of parents had poor knowledge about the disease and its management. Poor disease knowledge was significantly linked to lower education (p<0.001). Nonetheless, strong adherence (>80 %) was noted on the ARMS scale. No significant correlation was found between physical growth, thyroid function, and adherence/knowledge (p-values 0.20–0.71).

Conclusions

The caregivers’ knowledge of thyroid disorders was poor and related to their educational level. There is a need to use clear language and ensure that parents have an adequate understanding of their child’s condition. Healthcare professionals should assess and address gaps in parental knowledge and adherence.

Keywords: children; long-term care; nursing; out-patient; thyroid disorder; parents

Corresponding author: Dr. Devi Dayal, Professor, Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh 160012, India, Phone: +91 9872072472, E-mail: drdevidayal@gmail.com

Acknowledgments

No external or intramural funding was received.

Research ethics: Ethical approval was taken from Institute Ethics Committee (Ref. no. INT/IEC/2022/SPL-850 dated 5/8/2022).
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: None declared.
Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2023-0300).

Received: 2023-06-24

Accepted: 2023-10-14

Published Online: 2023-10-30

Published in Print: 2023-12-15

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Supplementary Material

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Keywords for this article

children; long-term care; nursing; out-patient; thyroid disorder; parents