Page 15 - Effects and Efficacy of (Laparoscopic) Gastrostomy Placement in Children - Josephine Franken

Chapter 1
In children, weakly and non-acidic reflux occur more frequently compared to the adult population. 40
Figure 3. Multichannel intraluminal impedance measurement Health-related quality of life
The impact of pediatric feeding problems can have a major influence on the child, the parents and family life. 41 GP may possibly not only lead to an improvement in nutritional status, but also to an improvement in other aspects in the lives of these patients. Few studies have considered these broader psychosocial aspects of GP. 1,19
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly recognized as an essential component of patient care outcomes. 42-44 Systematic reviews of the literature have shown that the impact of tube feeding on HRQoL has been inadequately studied. 1,19
Diagnosing HRQoL: the PedsQL questionnaire
The Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQLTM) 4.0 Generic Core Scale is a reliable and valid tool for proxy-report of HRQoL by caregivers and a parallel self-report for children. It has been used to assess HRQoL in healthy populations, as well as in children with numerous acute and chronic health conditions. 43-45
Aims and outline of this thesis
The work presented in this thesis concerns the effects and efficacy of (laparoscopic) GP in children. The thesis is subdivided into four parts.
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