Building Relationships to Improve Discharge Guidance for South Asian families of children with congenital heart disease in England

The BRIDGE project aims to evaluate the understanding of congenital heart disease (CHD) within South Asian families in England and determine their experiences in caring for a child with CHD following their first cardiac surgeries. 

Findings from BRIDGE will contribute to developing culturally tailored interventions to improve discharge information and support for second-language English-speaking families with children undergoing CHD surgery, resulting in reduced health inequalities and improved long-term outcomes for children with CHD.  

Project Aims:

The plan is to achieve the aim of supporting parents of children with heart conditions to get the best possible information and support when they leave the hospital, this project will include the following parts: 

1.  The research team will look at the information given to parents and see if there are ways to improve the design, language, and format. 
2.  The team will discuss with doctors, nurses, and community support workers to understand the challenges they face and how we can improve the support they provide to families. 
3.  We will interview/have conversations with parents from South Asian families to learn about their experiences and get their suggestions for better discharge care. 
4.  Conduct a survey to identify knowledge gaps among parents of children with CHD and inform the development of targeted interventions.  

Project Team:

• Dr Luong Tran - full time PhD student at Birmingham City University
• Director of Studies - Professor Kerry Gaskin 
• Supervisor - Associate Professor Kate Thompson, Associate Professor in Therapies and Public Health
• Supervisor - Professor Jo Wray

Project Impacts:

This project will benefit all families who don't speak English as their first language. We're focusing on South Asian families because they make up the largest non-native English-speaking group in the UK. By understanding their experiences and needs, we can learn how to better support all families. We'll work closely with South Asian parents and healthcare professionals at Birmingham Children's Hospital to learn about cultural practices, beliefs, and the best ways to communicate with families from diverse backgrounds. 

Funding

This is a fully funded PhD studentship through the Vice Chancellor’s Inaugural Scheme

Contact

For more information about this research project, please contact Kerry.gaskin2@bcu.ac.uk