2009 Information and support needs of surgical adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients

Description: Two focus groups consisting of 8 adolescents (1 male, 7 female) and subsequent individual interviews with 3 adolescents (1 male, 2 female) yielded a range of participant concerns, in order of prominence: (1) recovery at home; (2) recovery in hospital; (3) post-surgical appearance; (4) emotional impact of surgery and coping; (5) intrusion of surgery and recovery of daily activities; (6) impact of surgery on school, peer relationships and other social interactions; (7) decision-making about surgery; (8) being in the operating room and; (9) future worries.
In conclusion, adolescents welcomed the possibility of an accessible, youth-focused website with comprehensive and accurate information that would include the opportunity for health professional-moderated, online peer support.
Towards an understanding of the information and support needs of surgical adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients: a qualitative analysis Radha MacCulloch , Sandra Donaldson , David Nicholas , Joyce Nyhof-Young , Ross Hetherington , Doina Lupea and James G Wright Scoliosis 2009, 4:12 Full text