Health related quality of life is becoming an increasingly important topic as medical advancements continue to increase life expectancies in various illnesses. Quality of life (QoL) encompasses the physical, psychological, and social well-being of a person. Studies focusing on health related QoL show that providers have a limited understanding of the QoL of their patients, demonstrating a need for further research. Mortality rates in pediatric intestinal failure (PIF) have significantly dropped over the past 3-4 decades and long-term morbidity rather than survival has come into focus as the outcome of interest. However, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the specific factors that contribute to QoL among PIF patients and their families. Insight into the challenges these patients face can promote enhanced support services and psycho-education for caregivers of these children as well as help to tailor medical and surgical treatment with a focus on improved QoL. Due to the rare nature of PIF, and despite a recent bloom in multidisciplinary PIF centers, experience is limited in individual centers and a multi-site study with a robust and diverse patient population is optimal to study QoL in pediatric intestinal failure.
This study proposes to quantify and describe the quality of life of children with intestinal failure, and to identify the medical and socio-economic factors that impact this quality of life, using data from multiple multidisciplinary intestinal failure centers across the United States and Canada specializing in the care of these participants.