Codesigned toolkit for multidisciplinary clinicians caring for children with severe neurological impairment

AIM: To evaluate a multipronged toolkit (Connect, Pause and Reflect Toolkit [CPRT]) codesigned to support clinicians' professional fulfilment, meaning, and multidisciplinary connection when caring for children with severe neurological impairment. METHOD: This study used convergent mixed-methods design. Participants reviewed CPRT and completed an online mixed-methods questionnaire, including a combination of validated, purpose-designed, and qualitative questions. We assessed CPRT engagement, acceptability, and utility, including barriers and enablers to implementation and intrapersonal and interpersonal impacts on clinicians. We adopted a convergent approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative data to critically examine and enrich understanding of participants' responses. RESULTS: Participants (n = 100) rated CPRT as highly acceptable, and valuable in supporting clinicians coping with cognitive and emotional challenges of clinical practice. Self-reported data suggest engaging with CPRT stimulated deep reflection, and multidisciplinary connection, reducing clinicians' isolation. Quantitative and qualitative data converged to suggest CPRT normalized and validated clinicians' struggle and positively reinforced a sense of meaning and professional purpose. INTERPRETATION: This exploratory descriptive study suggests CPRT is acceptable and effective in supporting multidisciplinary clinicians facing immense challenges caring for children with severe neurological impairment. CPRT provides a novel and freely accessible multipronged suite of interventions, to support clinicians' resilience, reflection, and multidisciplinary connection.