Experiences of caregivers of infants who have been on bubble continuous positive airway pressure at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital

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2016-03-01
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The bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (bCPAP) is a form of oxygen treatment given to children with severe respiratory distress. The bCPAP treatment might be stressful to caregivers caring for their sick infants. As such, caregivers may need continuous psychological support and adequate information for them to understand treatment better. This was a descriptive study that utilized qualitative method to explore experiences of caregivers of infants who have been on bCPAP at QECH. Data was collected from a purposive sample of twelve caregivers from Chatinkha and Paediatric nursery wards through in-depth interviews using a semi- structured interview guide. Qualitative data was analyzed using Colazzi’s framework which resulted in identifications of 3 themes; information about bCPAP, perception of caregivers and psychological support. The study found that information given about bCPAP was inadequate and not standardized for caregivers to understand bCPAP treatment. Most caregivers perceived bCPAP as a good treatment that saved lives of their infants. The caregivers were more stressed due to interrupted parent infant interaction and bCPAP machine as they prevented them to be in physical contact with their infants. The family members, friends and religious beliefs were among preferred source of psychological support rather than the healthcare workers. Therefore, the results have shown that there are gaps in providing support to caregivers of infants on bCPAP at QECH in terms of giving information and psychological care. As such, it is recommended that specific interventions be developed to minimize psychological distress and promote psychological health of caregivers with sick infants on bCPAP at QECH.
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