Primary care services role in supporting families of children or adolescents with disabilities or neurodevelopmental disorders.
Luciano Silveira Pacheco de Medeiros, Thiago Ferreira Abreu, Viviane Marten Milbrath and 5 others
PMID 41712629WHAT IT FOUND
Families of children with disabilities or neurodevelopmental disorders described primary care as having weak nurse-family bonds, underused home visits, and teaching limited to equipment and medications.
Key findings
01Families described negative feelings upon receiving a diagnosis, including anxiety, fear, sadness and grief, which affected family dynamics.
02Families reported accessibility barriers in primary care, including structural barriers and stigma, plus repeated trips between services with low problem-solving.
03Nursing care in primary care was described as uneven: bonds with families were weak, home visits were underused, and education was limited to materials, equipment and medications.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review maps experiences and practices; it does not test whether these care approaches improve child or family outcomes. Most included studies were qualitative, so findings are themes rather than measured effects. Evidence was mainly from Brazil and published in Portuguese, English or Spanish, and grey literature was excluded, so other settings may differ. Few studies focused on adolescents, so transition needs are weakly represented.
Declared interests
The article reports financial support from CAPES. No other conflict-of-interest statement is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that nurse home visits or family-centered primary care improve outcomes. It maps reported experiences and service gaps, not tested interventions.