Assess perception, practice and lived experiences on use of corrective braces among parents of children diagnosed with clubfoot: A mixed method study

BACKGROUND: Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is a congenital musculoskeletal deformity, which further leads to abnormal alignment of the feet in children. The aim of the present study is to assess perception and practice and explore lived experiences on the use of corrective braces among parents of children diagnosed with clubfoot. MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY: A mixed method study approach with convergent parallel research design was used on 100 parents of children with clubfoot. For the quantitative strand, a total enumerative sampling technique was used to collect the data using self-structured tools—a 5-point Likert scale on perception and a checklist on practice at the clubfoot clinic of a selected tertiary care hospital, Rishikesh. For the qualitative strand, a purposive sampling technique was used to conduct the in-depth interview until data saturation from 17 participants using a semi-structured questionnaire. Analysis was done using the SPSS 23.0 software, descriptive statistics with the use of frequency %, whereas for correlation, Pearson's correlation coefficient was used. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 31 years with a mean score of 30.54 ± 4.97. Among parents, 93% showed positive perception with a mean score of 67.16 ± 6.23 and 64% followed appropriate practice with a mean score of 12.44 ± 1.45. Coefficient correlation showed a statistically weak positive correlation between perception and practice (P < 0.001). The lived experiences of parents were reflected under six main themes, i.e., “personal experiences with wearing braces for correction,” “encounters and barriers,” “effects on one's social and personal life,” “perceived answers,” “any other previous practice,” and “awareness about clubfoot.” CONCLUSION: Present study concluded that parents had a positive perception and appropriate practice on the use of corrective braces, but there were a few issues such as relapse due to non-adherence, financial burden, and traveling distance, and noticeably more, which need to be addressed. Parental information is a very essential component that should be addressed by all treating physicians and nursing officers before starting treatment for clubfoot.