Experiences of parents who give pharmacological treatment to children with functional constipation at home.
Gunilla Flankegård, Evalotte Mörelius, Karel Duchen and 1 others
PMID 33043491WHAT IT FOUND
Parents giving oral and rectal constipation treatment at home described feeling like the bad parent.
They questioned whether forcing a child to cooperate was abuse, and needed clear information and affirmation from healthcare staff.
Key findings
01The core experience was a conflict between affirming the treatment and doubting whether giving it made them a bad parent.
02Parents feared the child would connect pain and discomfort to them, especially during rectal treatment, and worry that trust would erode.
03Parents said information and affirmation from healthcare personnel supported them to continue even when treatment felt wrong.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The invited families may have been those already troubled by treatment, so the study may not represent parents for whom home medication is straightforward. The findings come from Swedish parents, and views on rectal treatment, childhood nudity, and intimate care may differ in other cultures. The study describes parents' lived experience, not how well children tolerated treatment or whether treatment succeeded. Transfer to other home treatments is suggested but uncertain.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that constipation treatment harms children or should be stopped. The study reports parents' feelings about giving prescribed treatment, not child outcomes or treatment effects.