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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Matthew Breckons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 Johnson et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Previous literature has highlighted the complexity of supporting an acutely unwell child and the unnecessary use of services by parents/carers. The Little Orange Book (LOB) was developed as an information resource for parents/carers of young children to assist in managing symptoms of childhood illness and to encourage the appropriate use of healthcare services. Objectives This study aimed to understand parent/carer views and experiences using the Little Orange Book. Specifically, this study focused on barriers and facilitators to use, the impact on parents’ behaviour and the views on improving the LOB. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, including qualitative and quantitative components, was used to collect data regarding parent’s experiences using the LOB. Parents and carers in the North-East of England were invited to participate in an online survey and a subset of these respondents took part in qualitative interviews. One-hundred-and-twenty-eight parents completed the online survey and 16 took part in interviews. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and quantitative data analysed using descriptive statistical analytical methods. Results Three themes were identified within the data: Increasing parental empowerment in managing their child’s health, Equality of Access to Health-based Literature and Barriers and Facilitators to using the Little Orange Book. Conclusions: The Little Orange Book was seen as a valuable form of information to support parents and carers in healthcare decisions. Further development should ensure inclusivity, widen access and view provision of the information as an opportunity for healthcare professionals to engage with parents.
Author(s): Johnson A, Carruthers K, Breckons M, Shotton LH
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: PLoS ONE
Year: 2025
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Online publication date: 22/01/2025
Acceptance date: 27/09/2024
Date deposited: 10/02/2025
ISSN (electronic): 1932-6203
Publisher: Public Library of Science
URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295470
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295470
Data Access Statement: The ethical approval granted for this study did not include informed consent from participants to share full data sets. Therefore, data sets associated with this evaluation will be provided subject to reasonable request by emailing the corresponding author lynette.shotton@northumbria.ac.uk or via the institutional research team as.researchlink@northumbria.ac.uk.
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