Socio-demographic characteristics and treatment details of children with clubfoot deformity in a tertiary care institute: An observational study

Abstract

Objective: The objectives of this investigation are to investigate the social, demographic, and treatment-related factors that contribute to the management of children with clubfoot.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from July to September 2016. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, we conducted interviews with families of children enrolled in the RBSK program between January 2014 and September 2016. Our objective was to collect information regarding their social and demographic characteristics, treatment history, and any factors that may have influenced their care.
Results: Of the 136 infants diagnosed with clubfoot, 69.1% were male and 77.2% had the condition in both feet. The majority of the parents (77.9%) were between the ages of 20 and 30. 80.1% of families encountered transportation challenges, while 78.7% were required to travel more than 10 kilometres to access treatment centres. The average waiting time for services was 21 minutes. Healthcare providers referred approximately 75.8% of the children, while 88.9% of parents were motivated to adhere to the treatment plan. The condition's awareness experienced a significant increase, from 1.47% prior to diagnosis to 85.29% subsequent to it.
Conclusions: Despite the challenges associated with transportation, the availability of free therapy, useful healthcare guidance, and brief waiting times, parents were primarily motivated to complete treatment. Improving accessibility and alleviating the burden on larger institutions could be achieved by extending clubfoot treatment to community outreach programs.