Development and evaluation of a patient education programme for children, adolescents, and young adults with differences of sex development (DSD) and their parents: study protocol of Empower-DSD
Creators: name: Wiegmann, Sabine
name: Ernst, Martina
name: Ihme, Loretta
name: Wechsung, Katja
name: Kalender, Ute
name: Stöckigt, Barbara
name: Richter-Unruh, Annette
name: Vögler, Sander
name: Hiort, Olaf
name: Jürgensen, Martina
name: Marshall, Louise
name: Menrath, Ingo
name: Schneidewind, Julia
name: Wagner, Isabel
name: Rohayem, Julia
name: Liesenkötter, Klaus-Peter
name: Wabitsch, Martin
name: Fuchs, Malaika
name: Herrmann, Gloria
name: Lutter, Henriette
name: Ernst, Gundula
name: Lehmann, Christine
name: Haase, Martina
name: Roll, Stephanie
name: Schilling, Ralph
name: Keil, Thomas
name: Neumann, Uta
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Empowerment
subject: Patient education
subject: DSD
subject: Differences of sexual development
subject: Modular education
subject: Children
subject: Adolescents
subject: Parents
subject: Training
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Background: Differences in sexual development (DSD) are rare diseases, which affect the chromosomal, anatomical or gonadal sex differentiation. Although patient education is recommended as essential in a holistic care approach, standardised programmes are still lacking. The present protocol describes the aims, study design and methods of the Empower-DSD project, which developed an age-adapted multidisciplinary education programme to improve the diagnosis-specific knowledge, skills and empowerment of patients and their parents. Methods: The new patient education programme was developed for children, adolescents and young adults with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome or XX-/or XY-DSD and their parents. The quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods include standardised questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and participatory observation. The main outcomes (assessed three and six months after the end of the programme) are health-related quality of life, disease burden, coping, and diagnosis-specific knowledge. The qualitative evaluation examines individual expectations and perceptions of the programme. The results of the quantitative and qualitative evaluation will be triangulated. Discussion: The study Empower-DSD was designed to reduce knowledge gaps regarding the feasibility, acceptance and effects of standardised patient education programmes for children and youth with DSD and their parents. A modular structured patient education programme with four generic and three diagnosis-specific modules based on the ModuS concept previously established for other chronic diseases was developed. The topics, learning objectives and recommended teaching methods are summarised in the structured curricula, one for each diagnosis and age group. At five study centres, 56 trainers were qualified for the implementation of the training programmes. A total of 336 subjects have been already enrolled in the study. The recruitment will go on until August 2022, the last follow-up survey is scheduled for February 2023. The results will help improve multidisciplinary and integrated care for children and youth with DSD and their families. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00023096. Registered 8 October 2020 - Retrospectively registered.