Postsepsis Care Needs in Children and Families: Single-Center, Codesign Qualitative Research From Western Australia.

Abstract

Objectives: Sepsis, for children and their parents, is a life-altering illness with far-reaching psychosocial and physical impacts. We aimed to explore the needs of such patients and their parents after hospital admission for sepsis to inform the development of a Western Australian postsepsis care service.

Design: Qualitative study codesigned with four parents of children with personal experience of sepsis, which involved audio recording of interviews and focus groups of parents and healthcare and education professionals.

Setting: Perth Children's Hospital, Western Australia.

Patients and participants: Over a 2-month period in 2024, 15 parents of children who had recovered from sepsis were interviewed; four parents participated in a focus group. There were also 23 healthcare or education professionals who participated in two focus groups.

Interventions: None.

Measurements and main results: The audio-recorded focus groups were transcribed verbatim, anonymized, and analyzed using inductive descriptive thematic analysis. Across both groups of participants, two major themes and six subthemes were identified. The major themes were "the impact of sepsis" and "supportive care after sepsis." The impact of sepsis varied between individuals with the potential to affect multiple aspects of family life. Parents highlighted the profound psychosocial and physical consequences of sepsis, emphasizing the need for individualized support, communication, and follow-up after discharge. Professionals outlined gaps in current postsepsis care practices and suggested additional support measures for children and their families. Care coordination, described as a holistic, cross-sector healthcare model, was identified as a key need to ensure seamless collaboration across health, education, disability, and community sectors, while providing families with education, information, and resources.

Conclusions: This follow-up study of parents and healthcare or education professionals identified that in postsepsis care there is a need for coordinated, individualized follow-up, with ongoing clinical support for families after discharge.