How Parent Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity Respond to Patient Safety Events at Home

Abstract

The objective of this study was to use the critical decision method (CDM) to map the decision-making process of parent caregivers (PCGs) responding to patient safety events at home and to identify the work system factors that influence this process. PCGs (N = 13) were asked to share about a specific patient safety event that had occurred while caring for the CMC at home. PCGs were asked to describe the event in chronological order, after which their decision making at each timepoint was probed. The final process map included nine steps, the success of which were shaped by work system factors. This map of PCG decision making can be used to train policymakers, durable medical equipment companies, and clinical providers on the work that PCGs perform at home, and to evaluate whether a family has what they need to maintain home-based safety.