Felt needs of parents who have a 0- to 3-month-old child with a cleft lip and palate.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the felt needs of parents who have children from birth to 3 months of age with a cleft lip and palate.


METHODS
Parents were interviewed using structured and semistructured questions at 1 week and 1, 2, and 3 months after birth.


METHODS
Fifteen parents, including 12 mothers and three fathers, of patients with cleft lip and palate aged 0 to 3 months were interviewed.


RESULTS
During the first week after birth, the majority of parents needed to know about feeding and surgery. At 1, 2, and 3 months after birth, more information was required, especially on different surgeries during those periods and speech problems. In addition, a number of parents requested funding for every period, and very few had expectations of moral support from health care professionals.


CONCLUSIONS
The felt needs expressed in this study changed according to periods of time and mainly concerned feeding, speech problems, and surgery, as well as financial support. The needs of parents, particularly during the transitional period, should be considered as a provision of holistic care for patients with cleft lip and palate and their families.
Chuacharoen
Rattiya
R
Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand. ratti_yoye@hotmail.com
Ritthagol
Wipapun
W
Hunsrisakhun
Jaranya
J
Nilmanat
Kittikorn
K
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D005248:Feeding Methods; D005260:Female; D005378:Financial Support; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008046:Lip / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D010158:Palatal Obturators; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D013785:Thailand; D055815:Young Adult