Barriers affecting the treatment of CTEV among pediatric patients at CRP: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the study was to identify and analyze the barriers affecting the treatment of Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV) among pediatric patients. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study. 126 samples were conveniently selected from Ponseti clinic, CRP paediatric unit, located in Savar, Dhaka, based on eligible criteria. A researcher self developed questionnaire was used that had socio demographic information, CTEV and its treatment related medical information, Geographical, logistic, financial barriers and Barriers related to hospital service, treatment and parents awareness. The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were presented as mean, standard deviation for parametric data and frequency, percentage for nonparametric data. Interferential statistics has been performed by chi- square test has been performed for association of the variables. P-value was set as <.05. Results: Among 126 participants, overall child age was 30.24 ± 10.5 (in months) and respondent parent overall age was 26.45 ± 5.98 (in years). 80.2% mentioned that they have barrier related to treatment for regular hospital visits for their children's care. 54%, encountered transportation barriers when they came to receive treatment from CRP. 46%, did not face any transportation barriers during their visit. When exploring hospital service barriers, 43.7% of parents reported behavioral barriers, 33.3% of parents who reported communication at CRP. On the other hand, 19.8% of the parents don’t face any kind of barrier related to treatment. Statistical analysis showed an association between transportation barrier, residential area, educational qualification of respondent parent, and adequate brace care (P< 0.001). Conclusion: There is a strong association between the educational qualifications of respondent parents and barriers related to their awareness, which has significant implications for improving healthcare delivery at CRP. Also, residential area is strongly associated with geographical, transportation, and financial barriers. The identification of the barriers are essential for the development of effective strategies to address these challenges. Key words: CTEV children, Ponseti method, Barriers, Clubfoot Word count: 11,214