The views of parents and carers on managing acute otitis media in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: A qualitative study

Jennifer S. Reath, Sarah O'Brien, Letitia Campbell, Hasantha Gunasekera, Claudette A. Tyson, Deborah A. Askew, Wendy Hu, Tim Usherwood, Kelvin Kong, Peter Morris, Amanda J. Leach, Robyn Walsh, Penelope A. Abbott

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Abstract

Objectives: To explore the views of parents and carers regarding the management of acute otitis media in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are at low risk of complications living in urban communities. Study design: Qualitative study; semi-structured interviews and short telephone survey. Setting, participants: Interviews: purposive sample of parents and carers of urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (18 months – 16 years old) screened in Aboriginal medical services in Queensland, New South Wales, and Canberra for the WATCH study, a randomised controlled trial that compared immediate antibiotic therapy with watchful waiting for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with acute otitis media. Survey: parents and carers recruited for the WATCH trial who had completed week two WATCH surveys. Results: We interviewed twenty-two parents and carers, including ten who had declined participation in or whose children were ineligible for the WATCH trial. Some interviewees preferred antibiotics for managing acute otitis media, others preferred watchful waiting, expressing concerns about side effects and reduced efficacy with overuse of antibiotics. Factors that influenced this preference included the severity, duration, and recurrence of infection, and knowledge about management gained during the trial and from personal and often multigenerational experience of ear disease. Participants highlighted the importance of shared decision making by parents and carers and their doctors. Parents and carers of 165 of 262 WATCH participants completed telephone surveys (63%); 81 were undecided about whether antibiotics should always be used for treating acute otitis media. Open-ended responses indicated that antibiotic use should be determined by clinical need, support for general practitioners’ decisions, and the view that some general practitioners prescribed antibiotics too often. Conclusions: Parents and carers are key partners in managing acute otitis media in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Our findings support shared decision making informed by the experience of parents and carers, which could also lead to reduced antibiotic use for managing acute otitis media.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)202-207
Number of pages6
JournalMedical Journal of Australia
Volume220
Issue number4
Early online date2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Mar 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We acknowledge funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for the WATCH trial (GNT1046266) that supported the researchers engaged in this substudy. The funder had no role in the planning, implementing, writing, reporting, or publication of this study. Chelsea Watego (formerly Bond) advised on research design and conducted interviews. We acknowledge the Aboriginal Medical Services and communities involved in the WATCH trial, including AMS Western Sydney, the Kalwun Development Corporation, the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Healthcare Inala, the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, the Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Service, the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, and the Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Medical Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AMPCo Pty Ltd.

Funding Information:
We acknowledge funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for the WATCH trial (GNT1046266) that supported the researchers engaged in this substudy. The funder had no role in the planning, implementing, writing, reporting, or publication of this study. Chelsea Watego (formerly Bond) advised on research design and conducted interviews. We acknowledge the Aboriginal Medical Services and communities involved in the WATCH trial, including AMS Western Sydney, the Kalwun Development Corporation, the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Healthcare Inala, the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, the Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Service, the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, and the Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre.

Funding Information:
We acknowledge funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for the WATCH trial (GNT1046266) that supported the researchers engaged in this substudy. The funder had no role in the planning, implementing, writing, reporting, or publication of this study. Chelsea Watego (formerly Bond) advised on research design and conducted interviews. We acknowledge the Aboriginal Medical Services and communities involved in the WATCH trial, including AMS Western Sydney, the Kalwun Development Corporation, the Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Healthcare Inala, the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, the Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Service, the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, and the Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Medical Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AMPCo Pty Ltd.

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