Parental sensitivity and specificity to recognize shunt malfunction in their child: a single-center prospective study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to estimate the diagnostic performance (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value) for recognizing ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) failure in the parents of patients 0–18 years of age who attended the hospital’s emergency room (ER). The second objective was to identify the factors associated with the parents’ ability to recognize the shunt blockage (true positives). METHODS A prospective cohort study was conducted between 2021 and 2022 including all patients 0–18 years of age who had a VPS and attended the hospital’s ER with symptoms that could correspond to VPS blockage. Parents were interviewed on admission and patients were assessed over time to discover potential VPS malfunction by surgery or follow-up. Consent was obtained from all participants. RESULTS Ninety-one patients were surveyed, and 59.3% showed evidence of a confirmed VPS blockage. Parental sensitivity was 66.7%, with a specificity of 21.6%. An association was found between parents who could correctly identify their child’s shunt block and the number of symptoms of shunt failure that the parent could name (OR 2.4, p < 0.05) as well as parents who reported vomiting and headache as symptoms of shunt malfunction (OR 6, p < 0.05). Parents who knew the first and last name of their primary neurosurgeon (OR 3.5, p < 0.05) also had better diagnostic sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Parents who are more knowledgeable of their child’s disease, as well as parents who have good communication with their neurosurgeon, were found to have better diagnostic sensitivity.