Family-Centered Rehabilitation in Pediatric Care: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study at Caritas Baby Hospital, Palestine

Abstract

This study explores the implementation of family-centered rehabilitation at Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, focusing on the perspectives of participating families and professionals. The primary aim is to identify strategies for enhancing family-centered care in pediatric rehabilitation. A mixed-methods approach was utilized, combining qualitative interviews with mothers and rehabilitation professionals, followed by a modified Delphi consensus workshop with a wider multidisciplinary team. Thematic analysis was applied to interview transcripts, while quantitative analysis was used for Likert scale responses, synthesizing insights from the modified Delphi workshop. Key findings highlight the consensus on the importance of family involvement in the rehabilitation process. Professionals emphasized the need for improved communication, collaboration, and access to supportive services, such as psychological counseling and peer support. Families stressed the importance of education about their child’s condition, the rehabilitation process, and emotional and psychological support. This study is one of the first to systematically evaluate the role of psychological support for parents in pediatric rehabilitation within a Middle Eastern context. The findings provide a scalable model that can inform policies in diverse healthcare systems, contributing to the global literature by advocating for the integration of structured psychological support within family-centered rehabilitation models. The study’s contribution lies in presenting a context-sensitive family-centered rehabilitation model that integrates structured psychological support, parental education, peer support, and interdisciplinary collaboration within a Palestinian resource-limited and prolonged crisis setting.