Parental care experience of children with type 1 diabetes: a qualitative meta-synthesis.
Zhaoying Zhang, Xin Wang, Wenwen Dong and 1 others
PMID 39589154WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with type 1 diabetes described exhaustion, fear, guilt, financial strain and school worries.
They wanted practical nurse guidance on food, insulin and daily problems, and help sharing caregiving at home.
Key findings
01Parents described being physically drained and living in constant vigilance because diabetes care required ongoing attention.
02Parents wanted practical guidance from doctors and nurses on food and everyday diabetes problems.
03Parents worried about school safety because teachers lacked diabetes knowledge and schools generally had no nurse specialist.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only Chinese and English studies were searched, so experiences from other languages or cultures may be missing. The review was not registered on PROSPERO, so the search plan may not have been fixed in advance. It combined parents' views from 15 different studies, so it cannot show what any one family should do. Most participants were mothers, with 162 mothers, 58 fathers and 13 parents, and the authors noted little detail on fathers' distinct burden. The included studies were qualitative and rated grade B, not grade A.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the parents' requests for professional guidance, school support or shared caregiving as evidence that these changes improve diabetes control. The review reports parents' experiences and needs, not tested outcomes.