Treatment with growth hormone. What do children know and how do they accept it?

Abstract

Treatment with growth hormone in children is a very effective promotor of growth. The psychosocial environment of children may influence the results of this treatment. It has been shown that there is a clear relationship between the knowledge and understanding a child has of the treatment and the degree of compliance and acceptance. We have studied 90 children treated with growth hormone who filled in a questionnaire in order to know the knowledge and acceptance of their treatment. The scores for acceptance were significantly higher than for knowledge (p < 0.00001), without correlations between the two variables. The higher marks were achieved by children who had attended an educational camp. A serious lack of knowledge about the aspects directly related with the injection system was noted. We advise to design a suitable educational program for these patients.