Peer-reviewed article
Home Health Care Providers' Readiness to Care for Children and Youth With Complex Medical Conditions: A Scoping Review.
Tay J, Ta J, Rilett A, Mulcaster A, Cruz E et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review examined how prepared home care providers are to look after children with complex medical needs. The review found that providers often lack paediatric-specific training, mentorship and supervision, and face challenges including isolation, unclear roles and unreliable equipment. Lower readiness was associated with safety concerns, hospital readmissions and stress for both families and providers. The review recommends developing better ways to measure readiness and testing combined approaches including education, mentorship and service redesign.
Key points
- 19 studies were included examining provider readiness to care for children with complex medical conditions at home
- Providers reported limited paediatric-specific education, mentorship and supervision with variable training quality
- Readiness was shaped by home conditions, isolation, unclear roles, family dynamics and equipment reliability
- Lower readiness was related to safety concerns, hospital readmissions, family stress and provider moral distress
- No existing tool measured readiness as a unified construct
Limitations
The review does not provide data on specific interventions tested with rigorous designs, nor does it examine outcomes for children themselves. It focuses on synthesis of existing literature rather than presenting primary evidence of what works to improve provider readiness.
Abstract
Aim To synthesise evidence on how home care providers' readiness to care for children and youth with medical complexity (CYMC) is conceptualised, what shapes it in practice and what approaches have been used to support or enhance readiness. Methods This scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, with the protocol registered on the Open Science Framework. MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane databases and ProQuest (Nursing & Allied Health; Dissertations & Theses) were searched from 30th April 2025, with an update on 29th December 2025. Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods studies, reviews and relevant grey literature examining provider readiness to care for CYMC (0-18 years) at home were eligible. Two reviewers independently screened and charted data. Results A total of 19 studies were included following screening of 3530 records and 64 full-text reviews. Providers described limited paediatric-specific education, mentorship and supervision, variable training quality and reliance on experiential learning. Readiness was shaped by home conditions, isolation, unclear roles, family dynamics and equipment reliability. No tool measured readiness as a unified construct. Lower readiness was related to safety concerns, readmissions, family stress and provider moral distress. Conclusion Provider readiness appears to be a key safety and quality concern in paediatric home care, shaped by clinical, relational and system-level supports. Future work should clarify the construct, develop measures and test multicomponent strategies combining paediatric-specific education, mentorship, supported practice and service redesign.