Funding outcome

More children with complex medical needs are getting tracheostomies due to technological advancements reducing the associated risks of the procedure. A tracheostomy is a hole in the windpipe that allows patients to receive breathing support. Trachieostomies come with more medical complexity and higher care needs, putting more stress on family-caregivers. This study evaluates the levels of mental stress that family-caregivers experience as they transition from hospital units (e.g., ICU, inpatient, discharge) at the Stollery Children's Hospital and Alberta Children's Hospital. Data is collected using the Pediatric Inventory for Parents (PIP), a 42-question double-column questionnaire validated to measure mental stress in parents whose child has a critical illness. Data is being collected at three main time-points: 1) during the child's stay in ICU within 14 days following tracheostomy placement, 2) within 2 weeks following the child's discharge to the inpatient unit from the ICU, and 3) within 2 weeks before the child's expected discharge home. Additional time-points have been added in that case that children are directed back to the ICU after transitioning to the inpatient unit. This study provides information regarding changes in family-caregivers' mental stress over time and its contributing factors, informing future initiatives to address family-caregivers' mental stress. Along with family-caregivers, the ultimate goal is to develop informed and integrated knowledge translation initiatives that improve this transitional process through the hospital and as families integrate back into their communities.