Clinician perspectives on their practice and digital priorities to support and educate children after a parental acquired brain injury: a qualitative study

Parental acquired brain injury (ABI) can profoundly affect children, yet clinicians often feel unprepared to support them. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators influencing clinicians’ capability, opportunity, and motivation to provide support, and explore preferences for digital resources to aid clinical practice. Seven focus groups were conducted with 29 clinicians from four disciplines across three Australian states. A semi-structured interview schedule guided discussions. Data were inductively analysed and themes deductively mapped to the COM-B framework. Nine themes emerged across five COM-B components. For capability, clinicians noted knowledge gaps and need for support for non-injured parents. Opportunity included workplace culture, consent challenges, frontline service delivery improvements, the need for a uniform clinical approach, and digital priorities. Motivation covered professional role and identity and involved beliefs about lack of capacities. Digital priorities focused on clarifying injury perspectives and facilitating experiential learning. The COM-B model identified factors influencing clinicians’ behaviours in supporting children post-parental ABI, highlighting the need for resource development, collaborative alliances, and strategies to build motivation. These insights can guide the creation of digital resources to enhance clinical practice. Engaging children during parental brain injury rehabilitation requires building clinicians’ knowledge, skills and confidence, and reviewing service level systems.The COM-B model proved valuable in pinpointing the need to develop educational resources and collaborative alliances between clinicians and parents.Enhancing clinicians’ skills and knowledge can boost their motivation and confidence, while addressing social and physical barriers has the potential to better support these children. Engaging children during parental brain injury rehabilitation requires building clinicians’ knowledge, skills and confidence, and reviewing service level systems. The COM-B model proved valuable in pinpointing the need to develop educational resources and collaborative alliances between clinicians and parents. Enhancing clinicians’ skills and knowledge can boost their motivation and confidence, while addressing social and physical barriers has the potential to better support these children.