Parents of children with medical complexity report major challenges with at-home medical devices

Parents stress need for safe, convenient, reliable and user-centered at-home devices for their children’s care

2026-02-10

(Press-News.org) Parents of children with medical complexity report that they rely on various medical devices for essential care of their kids at home, yet the processes of obtaining and using these devices are inadequate and often pose safety risks, according to a study from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Findings from interviews with parents were published in the journal Pediatrics.

“Prior research has linked challenges with home device use to emergency department visits, hospitalizations and parent workarounds,” said lead author Peter Walsh, Behavioral Research Coordinator at Foster Health Lab at Manne Research Institute at Lurie Children’s. “In our study, we aimed to understand parent experiences with in-home devices and identify opportunities for improvement. We hope to advance pediatric device product research and development to better support the wellbeing of children with medical complexity in their everyday lives.”

For the current study, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 participants. After each interview, parents could opt in to share photos of devices, related storage, or transportation set-up in their home. Eight participants submitted 97 total pictures with descriptions.

Five main themes emerged:

Lack of communication and education about in-home medical product availability between suppliers, providers and parents Commonly used medical devices, such as pulse oximeters, suction machines, and feeding pumps, frequently have major design flaws, which lead to safety risks and diminish quality of life for children with medical complexity and their family Parents often addressed unmet in-home medical product needs and major design flaws with improvised problem-solving strategies Structural barriers, such insurance processes and supplier delays, reduce access to efficacious and high-quality medical devices Parents prioritize a variety of design attributes in medical devices, valuing durable, intuitive and dependable products that are safe and child-friendly “We found evidence that in-home user experience is critical when designing medical devices, so that common device flaws and the needs of children with medical complexity and their families could receive greater attention,” said senior author Carolyn Foster, MD, MS, pediatrician and Director of Health@Home Initiative at Manne Research Institute, as well as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Parent and family advisory boards may help designers appreciate the real-world consequences of design choices within the home setting. To improve the safety of at-home medical devices, parent voices should be integral to the design process.”

Dr. Foster is the Yaeger Family Research Scholar at Lurie Children’s.

The study was a collaboration between the Foster Health Lab and initiatives within the research institute – Health@Home and Innovate2Impact.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to providing access to exceptional care for every child. It is the only independent, research-driven children’s hospital in Illinois and one of less than 35 nationally. This is where the top doctors go to train, practice pediatric medicine, teach, advocate, research and stay up to date on the latest treatments. Exclusively focused on children, all Lurie Children’s resources are devoted to serving their needs. Research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, which is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The nonlinear Hall effect induced by electrochemical intercalation in MoS2 thin flake devices

2026-02-10

A research team from Nanjing University has developed an in-situ on-device electrochemical intercalation method to manipulate the structural and electronic properties of MoS2 thin flakes, resulting in a robust nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) observable at room temperature. By intercalating cetyltrimethylammonium ions (CTA+) into the van der Waals (vdW) gap of MoS2, the inversion symmetry is broken and NLHE can be observed up to 300 K. This work provides a new approach for regulating NLHE and symmetry in 2D materials ...

Moving beyond money to measure the true value of Earth science information

2026-02-10

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — They’re all around us: sensors and satellites, radars and drones. These tools form vast remote sensing networks that collect data on the climate, the ground, the air, and the water. This information is immensely useful for research, conservation, and disaster preparedness. But, according to an interdisciplinary group of Earth science researchers in a paper led by Casey O’Hara of UC Santa Barbara, we’re only just scratching the surface of understanding just how beneficial Earth Science Information can be. “We’re trying to use the information we gather from all this instrumentation ...

Engineered moths could replace mice in research into “one of the biggest threats to human health”

2026-02-10

A scientific breakthrough not only promises faster testing for antimicrobial resistance, but also an ethical solution to the controversial issue of using rodents in research. University of Exeter scientists have created the world’s first genetically engineered wax moths – a development which could both accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and significantly reduce the need for mice and rats in infection research. The study, published in Nature Lab Animal, outlines how Exeter researchers have developed powerful new genetic tools for the greater wax moth (Galleria Mellonella). This small insect is increasingly recognised as a cost-effective, ethically ...

Can medical AI lie? Large study maps how LLMs handle health misinformation

2026-02-10

New York, NY [February 9, 2026] — Medical artificial intelligence (AI) is often described as a way to make patient care safer by helping clinicians manage information. A new study by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators confronts a critical vulnerability: when a medical lie enters the system, can AI pass it on as if it were true? Analyzing more than a million prompts across nine leading language models, the researchers found that these systems can repeat false medical claims when they appear in realistic hospital notes or social-media health discussions. The findings, published in the February 9 online issue of The Lancet Digital Health ...

The Lancet: People with obesity at 70% higher risk of serious infection with one in ten infectious disease deaths globally potentially linked to obesity, study suggests

2026-02-10

Study of over 540,000 people suggests people with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised or die from an infectious disease; people with the most severe obesity face three times the risk. Applying these risk estimates to global data suggests obesity was linked to one in ten infection-related global deaths in 2023.However, authors highlight estimates of the global impact should be interpreted with caution. The proportion of infection-related deaths associated with obesity differed between countries, with roughly one in six deaths in the UK an done in four deaths in the US. Authors warn that given rising global ...

Obesity linked to one in 10 infection deaths globally

2026-02-10

Just over one in 10 deaths from a wide range of infectious diseases can be attributed to obesity worldwide, finds a major new study led by a University College London (UCL) researcher. People with obesity face a 70% higher risk of hospitalisation or death from an infection than those of a healthy weight, according to the findings published in The Lancet. Obesity can increase the risk posed by many different infectious diseases, from flu and Covid-19 to stomach bugs and urinary tract infections, and the researchers found that the higher the BMI, the greater the risk. The study’s lead author, Professor Mika Kivimaki (UCL Faculty ...

Legalization of cannabis + retail sales linked to rise in its use and co-use of tobacco

2026-02-10

The legalisation of cannabis and the start of retail sales of the drug in the US are linked to both a rise in its recreational use and concurrent use of tobacco, as well as a fall in sole tobacco use, finds an analysis of health behavioural data, published online in the journal Tobacco Control. These patterns were evident in higher risk groups, such as those with poor mental health, as well as those with historically lower levels of recreational cannabis use, such as older people and those with higher levels of education, the findings indicate. Concurrent use of tobacco and cannabis is associated with an increased risk of developing ...

Porpoises ‘buzz’ less when boats are nearby

2026-02-10

Harbour porpoises “buzz” less when boats and ships and nearby – suggesting a drop in feeding and socialising, new research shows. Scientists used underwater microphones in a narrow strait called the Little Belt (Denmark) then mapped porpoise sounds against vessel traffic. Buzzes (short sounds used when porpoises feed and socialise) reduced by up to 45% during busiest vessel traffic periods. Harbour porpoises are small but have a rapid metabolism and eat almost constantly – so reduced activity could ...

When heat flows backwards: A neat solution for hydrodynamic heat transport

2026-02-09

When we think about heat travelling through a material, we typically picture diffusive transport, a process that transfers heat from high-temperature to low-temperature as particles and molecules bump into each other, losing kinetic energy in the process. But in some materials heat can travel in a different way, flowing like water in a pipeline that – at least in principle – can be forced to move in a direction of choice. This second regime is called hydrodynamic heat transport. Heat conduction is mediated by movement of phonons, which are collective excitations of atoms in solids, ...

Firearm injury survivors face long-term health challenges

2026-02-09

Survivors of firearm injuries often experience long-term physical and functional health challenges that extend beyond the initial trauma, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Their study, published in the Journal of Urban Health, examined the physical health needs, health care access and barriers to care for firearm injury survivors. The work was done in collaboration with street outreach workers from Cure4Camden, a Camden, N.J., community-based violence intervention program. “Survivors of ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Bison hunters abandoned long-used site 1,100 years ago to adapt to changing climate