Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
September 29, 2021Pediatrics International

Healthcare for children depend on medical technology and parental quality of life in Japan

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

AMAkemi MatsuzawaJAJunichi AraiYSYuko Shiroki

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Cross-sectional study finds increased caregiver burden and reduced quality of life in parents of technology-dependent youth, highlighting needs for respite care.

Key Points

  • To evaluate healthcare service utilization patterns and parental health-related quality of life among primary caregivers of children dependent on medical technology compared to children with chronic conditions.
  • Conducted an exploratory cross-sectional questionnaire study among primary caregivers of children with medical complexity aged 1–20 years identified through a children's hospital home-care registry (286 surveys sent; N=95 analyzed).
  • Stratified participants into children dependent on medical technology (CMT, n=31)—defined by mechanical ventilation, suctioning, tube feeding, tracheostomy, gastrostomy, central line, or catheterization—and children with chronic conditions (CCC, n=64).
  • Compared demographic profiles, healthcare service utilization, emergency visits, sleep duration, caregiver burden, and parental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between groups.
  • Caregivers in the CMT group experienced significantly heavier caregiving burdens, greater time demands, and larger reductions in sleep duration compared to the CCC group.
  • Children dependent on medical technology exhibited higher healthcare utilization, characterized by higher rates of unexpected hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and increased requirements for care coordination.
  • Parents of technology-dependent children demonstrated substantially poorer mental and physical health scores on HRQOL assessments than parents of children with chronic conditions.

Cite This Study

Matsuzawa et al. (2021) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8a46086fc170cbc2fbdd9fhttps://doi.org/10.1111/ped.15006
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Home‐Based Parenting Strategies and Challenges of Primary Parental Caregivers of Children With Medical Complexity in Japan: A Qualitative Study2026 · 1 citations
  2. 2Quality of Life and Mental Health Among Families Caring for Children with Medical Complexity: A Scoping Review2026 · 1 citations
  3. 3Problems in the Primary Triage of Children with Medical Complexity in Disaster2026
  4. 4Care complexity and inequities in caregiving time for undiagnosed infants and toddlers with special health care needs: a cross-sectional study in Japan2025
  5. 5Quality of life in families and children with medical complexity2025