Digital Psychosocial Follow-up for Childhood Critical Illness Survivors: A Qualitative Interview Study on Health Professionals' Perspectives

Abstract

Background Digital solutions have been reported to provide positive psychological and social outcomes to childhood critical illness survivors, a group with an increased risk for long-term adverse psychosocial effects.

Objective To explore health professionals’ perspectives on the potential of digital psychosocial follow-up for childhood critical illness survivors.

Methods Using a qualitative approach, expert interviews with six health professionals working at a Norwegian hospital were conducted. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework. Concurrent data collection and analysis using inductive coding was also employed, and a model of codes was constructed.

Results The interview yielded thirteen unique codes regarding the health professionals’ perspectives on the potential for digital psychosocial follow-up for childhood critical illness survivors, organized in a model comprising the two main themes: Affecting Factors and Digital Usage. Demographic factors (the child’s medical condition, age, gender, and residence) and environmental factors (the child’s family and health professionals) tended to affect the current psychosocial follow-up. Hospital limitations concerning a lack of digital solutions, worse relationship building with video communication, and children’s already high screen time reflected the current state of digital usage. However, ongoing digitalization, existing successful digital solutions, children’s good digital skills, and an ongoing process of creating an artifact are also seen as opportunities for digital usage in future psychosocial follow-up for childhood critical illness survivors.

Conclusions Researchers can build further on these findings to investigate the potential of digital psychosocial follow-up for childhood critical illness survivors, and clinicians can use it as a starting point for improving psychosocial follow-up.