“Will anybody listen?” parents’ views on childhood asthma care: a qualitative study

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, resulting in considerable morbidity and health care utilisation, especially in geographical areas with high deprivation. Parents play a pivotal role in children’s asthma management.

Aim: To explore the views of parents whose children have asthma, regarding barriers and facilitators to receiving adequate asthma care.

Design and Setting: A qualitative study conducted in an urban, multi-ethnic setting with high socioeconomic deprivation and paediatric asthma related hospital admissions.

Method: The study used a pragmatic approach underpinned by a perspective of critical realism. Parents of children with asthma were recruited through purposive and convenience sampling and data collected through semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo software.

Results: 10 parents participated in 9 interviews. Six themes were identified relating to: (1) the establishment of a new life dynamic following a diagnosis of asthma; (2) the turbulent and drawn-out process of asthma diagnosis; (3) the roles and expectations of the partnership established between parents and healthcare services; (4) the importance of schools in asthma management; (5) sources and access to relevant information; and (6) the importance of social support networks. Parents frequently felt unsupported and misunderstood, particularly during the diagnostic process.

Conclusion: Unmet parental educational and emotional needs, particularly around the time of diagnosis were identified as a key barrier to adequate asthma management. Deeper understanding of gaps in support can instruct asthma care delivery and inform co-produced interventions, thus improving asthma outcomes in children.