“Will anybody listen?” parents’ views on childhood asthma care: a qualitative study

Background Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, resulting in considerable morbidity and healthcare utilisation, especially in geographical areas with high deprivation. Parents play a pivotal role in children’s asthma management. Aim To explore the views of parents whose children have asthma, regarding barriers and facilitators to receiving adequate asthma care. Design & setting A qualitative study conducted in an urban, multi-ethnic setting with high socioeconomic deprivation and paediatric asthma-related hospital admissions. Method The study used a pragmatic approach underpinned by a perspective of critical realism. Parents of children with asthma were recruited through purposive and convenience sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo12 software. Results Ten parents participated in nine interviews. Six themes were identified relating to the following: (1) the establishment of a new life dynamic following a diagnosis of asthma; (2) the turbulent and drawn-out process of asthma diagnosis; (3) the roles and expectations of the partnership established between parents and healthcare services; (4) the importance of schools in asthma management; (5) sources and access to relevant information; and (6) the importance of social support networks. Parents frequently felt unsupported and misunderstood, particularly during the diagnostic process. Conclusion Unmet parental educational and emotional needs, particularly around the time of diagnosis, were identified as a key barrier to adequate asthma management. Deeper understanding of gaps in support can instruct asthma care delivery and inform co-produced interventions, thus improving asthma outcomes in children.