Fetal Cardiac Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Does It Affect Parental Counseling?

Kovacevic, Alexander; Bär, Stefan; Starystach, Sebastian; Elsässer, Michael; Locht, Thomas van der; Motlagh, Aida Mohammadi; Ostermayer, E.; Oberhoffer‐Fritz, Renate; Ewert, Peter; Gorenflo, Matthias; Wacker-Gußmann, Annette

doi:10.3390/jcm10153423

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…We assume that the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced our current results as, during the pandemic, routine day-to-day operations were temporarily reduced, thus leading to a more stable counseling setting with less interruptions and time pressure. However, COVID-19 does not influence counseling success, which is in line with our previous study on the impact of the still ongoing pandemic on fetal cardiac care [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Parents’ Perspectives on Counseling for Fetal Heart Disease: What Matters Most?

Kovacevic

Wacker-Gußmann

Bär

et al. 2022

JCM

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After diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) in the fetus, effective counseling is considered mandatory. We sought to investigate which factors, including parental social variables, significantly affect counseling outcome. A total of n = 226 parents were recruited prospectively from four national tertiary medical care centers. A validated questionnaire was used to measure counseling success and the effects of modifiers. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the data. Parental perception of interpersonal support by the physician (β = 0.616 ***, p = 0.000), counseling in easy-to-understand terms (β = 0.249 ***, p = 0.000), and a short period of time between suspicion of fetal CHD, seeing a specialist and subsequent counseling (β = 0.135 **, p = 0.006) significantly improve “overall counseling success”. Additional modifiers (e.g., parental native language and age) influence certain subdimensions of counseling such as “trust in medical staff” (language effect: β = 0.131 *, p = 0.011) or “perceived situational control” (age effect: β = 0.166 *, p = 0.010). This study identifies independent factors that significantly affect counseling outcome overall and its subdimensions. In combination with existing recommendations our findings may contribute to more effective parental counseling. We further conclude that implementing communication skills training for specialists should be considered essential.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Parents’ Perspectives on Counseling for Fetal Heart Disease: What Matters Most?

Kovacevic

Wacker-Gußmann

Bär

et al. 2022

JCM

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“…The authors demonstrated that the COVID-19 breakout altered parental perceptions and influenced the effectiveness of counseling for fetal CHD. The authors suggest implementing alternative and innovative approaches such as online conferences or virtual reality tools in order to facilitate high-quality services in critical times such as the present pandemic [ 9 ].…”

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confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Congenital Heart Defects

Fesslová

Cavoretto

2022

JCM

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Family Counseling after the Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease in the Fetus: Scoping Review

Almeida,

Tuda,

Dias

et al. 2023

Healthcare

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Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death from malformations in the first year of life and carries a significant burden to the family when the diagnosis is made in the prenatal period. We recognize the significance of family counseling following a fetal CHD diagnosis. However, we have observed that most research focuses on assessing the emotional state of family members rather than examining the counseling process itself. The objective of this study was to identify and summarize the findings in the literature on family counseling in cases of diagnosis of CHD during pregnancy, demonstrating gaps and suggesting future research on this topic. Eight databases were searched to review the literature on family counseling in cases of CHD diagnosis during pregnancy. A systematic search was conducted from September to October 2022. The descriptors were “congenital heart disease”, “fetal heart”, and “family counseling”. The inclusion criteria were studies on counseling family members who received a diagnosis of CHD in the fetus (family counseling was defined as any health professional who advises mothers and fathers on the diagnosis of CHD during the gestational period), how the news is expressed to family members (including an explanation of CHD and questions about management and prognosis), empirical and qualitative studies, quantitative studies, no publication deadline, and any language. Out of the initial search of 3719 reports, 21 articles were included. Most were cross-sectional (11) and qualitative (9) studies, and all were from developed countries. The findings in the literature address the difficulties in effectively conducting family counseling, the strengths of family counseling to be effective, opportunities to generate effective counseling, and the main challenges in family counseling.

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Fetal Cardiac Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Does It Affect Parental Counseling?

Cited by 5 publications

References 27 publications

Parents’ Perspectives on Counseling for Fetal Heart Disease: What Matters Most?

Parents’ Perspectives on Counseling for Fetal Heart Disease: What Matters Most?

Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Congenital Heart Defects

Family Counseling after the Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease in the Fetus: Scoping Review

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