A prospective longitudinal survey about parents’ experiences with an integrative-therapy concept for acute gastroenteritis in a German anthroposophic hospital

Purpose: In specialized children’s hospitals patients with acute gastroenteritis received supportive anthroposophic drug and non-drug therapies to improve the course of disease. In addition to actual effectiveness of the therapy, parent’s experience of the hospital stay is an important factor in children’s recovery. Both, effectiveness and satisfaction, were assessed by a parent survey. Methods: The results presented here are part of a non-controlled prospective case series study conducted between April 2018 and April 2020 in a department of integrative medicine for children and adolescents in a German anthroposophic hospital. Parents of hospitalized children were invited to participate in a prospective longitudinal survey (t1: during hospital stay; t2: 4-6 weeks after discharge). The survey covered socio-demographic data, course of symptoms, parental satisfaction and factors influencing recovery. Results: Data from 60/62 (t1) and 35/62 (t2) questionnaires were analysed. There was a reduction in symptoms during hospitalization. Parents rated the effectiveness of the therapy as good (1.8 ± 0.6; 1 = very good; 6 = very bad) and were very satisfied (1.5 ± 0.5). Parents of children older than one year were more satisfied than parents of younger children. Out of all the treatments, parents felt that rehydration therapy, the anthroposophic concept of the hospital and anthroposophic medicines had the most positive impact on their child’s recovery. Conclusion: Parents were highly satisfied and felt that the anthroposophic therapy concept had beneficial effects on the course of disease.