Parenting Difficulties: How To Improve Parents Comprehension To Benefit Kids With Chronic Illness

Canadian specialists warned parents about how their poor or lack of comprehension could lead to relapses in children with chronic diseases. Even parents with good education also struggle with the ability to comprehend the proper management of their sick child's tests and medications.

One of the chronic illnesses that require proper management is chronic kidney disease. Children with this kind of illness need proper health care and management including regular urine tests, complicated medication schedules, doses adjustment and monitoring signs.

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto conducted a test on the health literacy of around 190 parents who have children with chronic illnesses, according to CBC. Up to 80 percent of these parents got high scores on the literacy standard test but others had issues on comprehension when it comes to health management.

"Having a sick child is difficult for families to cope with," nephrologist and Sick Kids associate chief of clinical research Dr. Rulan Parekh said. "When you first get all that information put to you, I think that's a really difficult time for families to comprehend everything."

The American Academy of Pediatrics said up to 20 million children in the United States are suffering from chronic illness, as per Parenting. This is a persistent health condition such as diabetes, asthma, or even a simple tooth decay. Chronic illness can affect not just the child but also the whole family who has to cope with health care and management.

Parents want the best care for their kids with chronic illness and they should be physically and mentally capable of addressing the child's medical needs through proper health management, American Psychological Association noted. Parents, especially mothers are the primary caregivers of their children and it wouldn't hurt if they read up and do some research on how to properly manage the care of kids with chronic illness.