Practices for promoting a child's best interests in paediatric rehabilitation - Perspectives of professionals and parents.
Nea Vänskä, Salla Sipari, Leena Haataja
PMID 39340369WHAT IT FOUND
Parents and rehabilitation professionals described promoting a child's best interests as jointly planning around the child's daily life, letting the child influence goals and activities, and avoiding separate, overlapping goals.
Key findings
01Participants said promoting the child's best interests requires a shared, child-specific rehabilitation plan tied to everyday family life, not separate discipline goals.
02Children's participation in planning was described as something they learn through supportive interaction, not something that happens automatically.
03Communication and interaction skills were prioritised because a fulfilling daily life depends on social relationships and the child being able to express themselves.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This was a qualitative study of perspectives, so it cannot show that the described practices improve children's outcomes. No children were interviewed, and only one father participated, so the findings miss the views of the people most affected by the decisions. The sample was limited to professionals and parents in Finland, and some participants worked in private rehabilitation centres, so practices may not transfer to other health systems. The concept of a child's best interests was interpreted differently by participants, which made the analysis complex. Parents and professionals were interviewed separately, and combining them may have produced different results. It did not measure outcomes or compare practices.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and received no financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as tested ways to improve a child's best interests or rehabilitation outcomes. The study asked parents and professionals what they believed should happen, and it did not measure what happened after any practice.