TY - JOUR
T1 - Children with medical complexity care journey during COVID-19 from providers perspective
T2 - a qualitative study
AU - Asan, Onur
AU - Elkourdi, Farah
AU - Super, Ilse
AU - Rezaeian, Olya
AU - Percy, Stephen
AU - Clouser, Katharine
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
PY - 2025/12
Y1 - 2025/12
N2 - Background: Children with medical complexity (CMC) are children who have a range of chronic physical, developmental, and behavioral conditions. CMC is a vulnerable population that requires special care and receives support from multidisciplinary teams. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped healthcare practices, with long-term consequences. CMC was particularly impacted, encountering medical, behavioral, and social challenges due to disruptions in care and pandemic-related restrictions. This qualitative study aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the CMC care journey from a healthcare provider’s perspective. Understanding COVID-19 challenges will help refine healthcare strategies, improve patient safety, and ensure CMC care meets their unique needs. Methods: In this qualitative study, we captured views from various providers who cared for CMC during the pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews between May 2023 and December 2023. In total, we had 24 healthcare providers participate in the study, including 4 Hospitalists, 13 Specialists, 2 Outpatient Pediatricians, and 5 Home Nurses. Interviews were audio recorded to ensure accuracy in transcription and analysis. We used an inductive thematic analysis with a codebook approach for our coding process. Results: As a result of inductive thematic analysis, ten primary themes emerged from the data related to CMC care challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic from the healthcare providers’ perspective. Each theme consists of a set of subthemes. Themes are clustered into three main categories: (1) Access and Continuity of Care, (2) Families, Staff, and Collaborative Care, and (3) Infection Risk and Prevention Strategies. Conclusions: This study highlights the challenges of caring for CMC during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on system vulnerabilities and the resilience of healthcare providers and families. It shows the need for family-centered care, better telehealth integration, and comprehensive support for providers.
AB - Background: Children with medical complexity (CMC) are children who have a range of chronic physical, developmental, and behavioral conditions. CMC is a vulnerable population that requires special care and receives support from multidisciplinary teams. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped healthcare practices, with long-term consequences. CMC was particularly impacted, encountering medical, behavioral, and social challenges due to disruptions in care and pandemic-related restrictions. This qualitative study aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the CMC care journey from a healthcare provider’s perspective. Understanding COVID-19 challenges will help refine healthcare strategies, improve patient safety, and ensure CMC care meets their unique needs. Methods: In this qualitative study, we captured views from various providers who cared for CMC during the pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews between May 2023 and December 2023. In total, we had 24 healthcare providers participate in the study, including 4 Hospitalists, 13 Specialists, 2 Outpatient Pediatricians, and 5 Home Nurses. Interviews were audio recorded to ensure accuracy in transcription and analysis. We used an inductive thematic analysis with a codebook approach for our coding process. Results: As a result of inductive thematic analysis, ten primary themes emerged from the data related to CMC care challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic from the healthcare providers’ perspective. Each theme consists of a set of subthemes. Themes are clustered into three main categories: (1) Access and Continuity of Care, (2) Families, Staff, and Collaborative Care, and (3) Infection Risk and Prevention Strategies. Conclusions: This study highlights the challenges of caring for CMC during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on system vulnerabilities and the resilience of healthcare providers and families. It shows the need for family-centered care, better telehealth integration, and comprehensive support for providers.
KW - COVID-19 impact
KW - Care coordination
KW - Children with medical complexity
KW - Complex care
KW - Family-centered care
KW - Patient safety
KW - Pediatric healthcare
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U2 - 10.1186/s12913-025-12857-9
DO - 10.1186/s12913-025-12857-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 40399952
AN - SCOPUS:105005596397
SN - 1472-6963
VL - 25
JO - BMC Health Services Research
JF - BMC Health Services Research
IS - 1
M1 - 740
ER -
