Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Parents/carers of children with adrenal insufficiency routinely receive training on the provision of emergency hydrocortisone. This service improvement project aims to assess patient and parent knowledge on their sick day rules, in NHS Tayside, with a view to improving the delivery of this information.

Methods: A 24 item postal questionnaire was constructed and distributed to parents of children with adrenal insufficiency. This included 11 sick day scenarios, where respondents provided their best answer via extended matching items. Responses were pseudo-anonymised and Caldicott guardian permission was obtained.

Results: children were identified as having adrenal insufficiency, of which seven responded (54%) – all had received training on sick day rules. Sick day rule knowledge was good with a mean score of 82% (54 out of a possible 66, range 32–62). Two children completed the questionnaire themselves with significantly lower scores (mean score 44/66, 67%, P<0.05). Parents were receptive to the idea of an online educational course and open days to reinforce knowledge. Parents also felt that there was a lack of awareness on adrenal insufficiency amongst other medical specialities.

Discussion/conclusion: We have demonstrated that parental sick day knowledge is currently good. Consideration should be given to how this information is delivered to children (especially as they transition to adulthood) as well as colleagues within other areas of the healthcare system.