IPA Analysis: Exploring the Postsurgical Needs of Guatemalan Children & Their Families From Low-SES Communities Using an OT Lens

PURPOSE: This study seeks to understand the post-surgical needs of children and their families from low SES communities in the global South. While a significant decline in infant mortality is reported in these regions, there exists a spike in congenital and developmental disabilities. International short-term medical (STM) missions are organized to address surgical needs of this population, however, the post-surgery recovery is limited due to structural determinants of belonging to rural low SES communities. Hence, there is a vital need to study this situation and advocate for support to promote occupational engagement of children and the QOL of families. Therefore, the research question examined: What are the lived experiences and the challenges of habilitating/rehabilitating children from low SES families post-orthopedic surgeries provided by STM trips?

METHODOLOGY: A qualitative Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was conducted. Participants (parent/guardian) (N=5) were selected using the following inclusion criteria: caring for a child between newborn-17 years of age, who is 6 weeks post-orthopedic surgery by an STM mission and had no follow-up services post-surgery. Data includes the investigator’s field journal and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis underway consists of open coding, memoing, fracturing of data, and examining for emerging subordinate and superordinate themes.

FINDINGS: Preliminary emerging themes include, ‘scarcity of resources and guidance,’ ‘facing multiple stressors impacting overall well-being,’ ‘fear, uncertainty, and hope,’ ‘hardships related to socio-economic factors’.

CONCLUSION: This study seeks to highlight the occupational injustices experienced by families from Guatemala, who are in need of post-surgical services to support their children’s recovery. Global health missions need to consider using a holistic approach to address the occupational nature of children and their families to help better support these communities.

References

Crockett, C. J., Zeigler, L. N., Kynes, J. M., Lawson, K. C., Figueroa, L. I., Hayes, C. B., Samen, C. D. K., & McQueen, K. A. (2020). A prospective observational study of postoperative follow-ups and outcomes at a nonprofit, internationally supported pediatric surgery center in Guatemala. Pediatric Anesthesia, 30(4), 469. https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.13830

Crockett, C. J., Zeigler, L. N., Kynes, J. M., Lawson, K. C., Figueroa, L. I., Hayes, C. B., Samen, C. D. K., & McQueen, K. A. (2020). A prospective observational study of postoperative follow-ups and outcomes at a nonprofit, internationally supported pediatric surgery center in Guatemala. Pediatric Anesthesia, 30(4), 469. https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.13830

Gulack, B. C., Heydari, S., Figueroa, L., Tew, S., Taicher, B. M., Ross, S. S., Boyd, D., & Rice, H. E. (2015). Ranking and rating analyses of barriers to surgical care for children in Guatemala. Journal of Global Health, 5(1), 010406.