Transferable lessons for care provided to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities based on an analysis of facilitators and barriers to SARS-CoV-2 testing

• Main Authors: George S. Gotto (Author), Jeriel Bohall (Author), Rachel Northrup (Author), Cheryl Lyn Errichetti (Author), Danielle Chiang (Author), Maureen van Stone (Author), Erin Jones (Author), Megan Meck (Author), Luther Kalb (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-11-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2296-2360; 10.3389/fped.2024.1449255
• Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 testing; children with IDD; successful treatment models; fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM); stakeholder engagement; Pediatrics; RJ1-570
• Source: Frontiers in Pediatrics, Vol 12 (2024)

IntroductionThe purpose of this article is to report on the lessons learned from parents and caregivers of school-age children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Missouri and Maryland regarding the facilitators and barriers to SARS-COV-2 testing.MethodsParents participated in interview sessions that employed fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM), a reliable knowledge-based method that facilitates democratic discourse to understand how stakeholders make decisions. A total of 94 parents from Missouri (58) and Maryland (36) participated in the FCM sessions.ResultsEight primary barriers and eight primary facilitating factors were identified that influence a successful SARS-COV-2 test. Analyzing the connections between these factors provided valuable information about not only which ideas were most central to the goal of a successful test, but also which factors could be modified to improve the likelihood of success. Results indicate that the physical environment and child preparedness play a central role in successful SARS-COV-2 testing for children with IDD; however, these factors within the context of other invasive procedures should be studied further.DiscussionIt is likely that the findings from this study are transferable to other diagnostic procedures such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas (MRSA), which require similar testing techniques using a nasopharyngeal swab.