Abstract

Background: Despite attempts to improve asthma care through national guidelines and enhanced resources, asthma in children continues to result in significant morbidity, mortality, and unscheduled health utilisation. Parents play a pivotal role in their children’s asthma management.

Aim: To explore the views of parents whose children have asthma, regarding barriers and facilitators to receiving adequate asthma support.

Design and Setting: This study was conducted in an urban, multi-ethnic setting with high levels of socioeconomic deprivation and elevated rates of asthma-related emergency hospital presentations in children and young people.

Method: This qualitative study used a pragmatic approach underpinned by a perspective of critical realism. Parents of children with asthma were recruited for semi- structured interviews through purposive and convenience sampling. Verbatim interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, facilitated by use of NVivo.

Results: 10 parents participated in 9 interviews. The six themes identified related to: (1) the process of establishing a new life dynamic following a diagnosis of asthma; (2) the turbulent and drawn-out process of reaching a diagnosis; (3) the role of schools in working alongside parents to ensure adequate asthma management; (4) the roles and expectations of the partnership established between parents and healthcare services; (5) access and sources of relevant and useful information; and (6) the importance of social networks in supporting parents. Overall, parents frequently felt unsupported and misunderstood, particularly in the process leading up to a diagnosis, leading in delays to achieving optimal management and unnecessary disease burden.

Conclusion: This study highlighted the many practical, educational, and emotional challenges faced by parents caring for a child with asthma. A deeper understanding of these gaps in support can inform coordinated and co-produced interventions at a national and local level.