Parents' experiences on handling paediatric anticancer drugs at home after an educational intervention

BACKGROUND

The shift of treatment of paediatric cancer patients to include more care at home puts a lot of pressure on health care professionals (HCPs) to prepare and train parents on safe and correct drug handling at home. Parents must take in and understand the information presented to them while coping with their own fear related to their child's cancer diagnosis. In Sweden, parents are expected to handle and manipulate oral anticancer drugs (OADs) in the home setting. There is however a lack of a standardized method to inform and educate parents on how to handle OADs in a correct way at home.

AIM

To describe parents' experiences of handling OADs at home after participating in an educational intervention.

METHOD

Educational intervention in the present study aimed to improve parents' knowledge in key concepts that is, handling OADs at home by using information presented in different forms. Fifteen parents to 12 children with cancer were recruited from a paediatric oncology ward in Sweden to participate in an interview. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Parents' experiences are presented in categories: Relieved stress, Awareness of own exposure, Facilitated my everyday life, Parents need continued support individually. The educational intervention resulted in both positive and negative feelings, increased awareness of drug exposure and correct drug handling at home. Practical training and information presented in different ways facilitated the process of drug handling. To handle the drug correctly at home parents requested to be trained and informed in the beginning of their child's oral drug treatment. In addition, parents requested to be individually approached by HCP to get answers to questions and concerns.

CONCLUSIONS

This educational intervention study shows promising results for the method used by HCPs to inform and educate parents on complicated topics such as handling OADs at home.

Nursing interventions for pediatric patients with cancer and their families: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Clinical nursing care is an essential element in pediatric oncology. The body of research interventions targeting pediatric oncology patients and their families has grown in recent years. However, no reviews are currently available on nursing interventions for pediatric oncology.

AIM

The aim was to develop a comprehensive overview of the available nursing interventions for pediatric oncology patients and their families, outline the characteristics of the interventions, and identify any knowledge gaps.

METHODS

This review was conducted in accordance with the JBI guidelines for scoping reviews. Citations were retrieved from the following databases: Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase. The following inclusion criteria were applied: peer-reviewed studies written in English, Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish from 2000 onward and reporting on pediatric patients with cancer and/or family members of a pediatric patient with cancer who received non-pharmacological and non-procedural nursing interventions provided by a pediatric oncology hospital service. Eligible studies were screened by title and abstract, and in full text by two independent reviewers. Critical appraisal was achieved using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

FINDINGS

Among 2762 references, 26 studies met the inclusions criteria, comprising 25 unique nursing interventions. 89 % had been published from 2013 onward, reflecting the rapid changes occurring in pediatric oncology treatment. 36 % were qualitative, 58 % were quantitative and 8 % employed mixed methods. The studies were characterized by considerable diversity in terms of intervention content, components, timing of delivery, and delivery mode. 60 % of the interventions were targeted parents among whom mothers were highly overrepresented (75 %). 16 % adopted a family-centered focus.

CONCLUSION

This review contributes to building a more comprehensive understanding of the evidence base within pediatric oncology nursing research. This field is evolving and holds the potential to support families with childhood cancer across various phases of their treatment trajectory. However, a clear need exists to develop and test interventions with a genuinely family-centered focus, targeting both patients and family members. A considerable gap exists in reporting of the intervention development process and intervention characteristics. Improving the reporting of intervention development is needed to enhance research quality and facilitate subsequent adaptation or upscaling of interventions for use in other populations and contexts.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Nursing interventions can support families with childhood cancer but future intervention studies need to enhance transparency in reporting @IJNSjournal.

Pediatric Version of the Nurse Caring Behavior Scale: A Cross-Sectional Study in Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Centers

Background and Purpose: Caring is an essential value in nursing, it's crucial in pediatric hemato-oncology: we tested the Nurse Caring Behavior Scale (NCBS) in this setting. Methods: The NCBS is a 14-item validated psychometric questionnaire: caregivers and nurses adapted versions were used. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used. Results: The questionnaires were completed by 188 caregivers and 193 nurses. The two data sets were suitable for EFA and fitted with one-solution factor analysis; factor loading showed values >0.40 (>0.60 for caregivers). The mean scores were: 4.5 (range: 1-5) for caregivers and 4.7 (range: 1-5) for nurses. Conclusion: The two validated versions can be used on a wider nurses and caregivers sample and provide an instrument for the development of nursing protocols based on caring.

Are Parent Discharge Readiness Scores Effective for the Congenital Heart Disease Patients After Cardiac Surgery?

OBJECTIVE

To assess discharge readiness and clinical engagement post-discharge in familes of children undergoing congenital heart surgery (CHS).

STUDY DESIGN

This prospective cross-sectional study was performed at a major tertiary pediatric cardiac referral center. Eligible parents and caregivers completed a discharge readiness tool, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale for Parents of Hospitalized Children (PedRHDS), via online survey on the day of discharge. Clinical engagement data included subsequent phone calls, clinic visits, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospital readmissions. PedRHDS scores were measured as follows: Very High (9-10), High (8-8.9), Moderate (7-7.9), and Low (<7). Descriptive statistics were used to describe demographic data.

RESULTS

128 families enrolled between April and December 2021. Parent discharge readiness scores ranged from 'High' to 'Very High.' Families with lower socioeconomic status and younger patients (especially single ventricle infants or "interstage") had a higher proportion of clinic visits, ED visits, and hospital readmissions within 30-days post-discharge compared with other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Discharge readiness scores were not associated with clinical engagement. We identified vulnerable populations as evidenced by a higher frequency of clinical engagement in the immediate post-operative period, particularly younger patients and first time surgeries. While these visits may be appropriate, novel programs could enhance education and emotional support to prevent delay in seeking care or creating excessive stress and anxiety after discharge.

Retention of discharge instructions using an interdisciplinary model for at-risk children with cancer: A quality improvement initiative

PURPOSE

We sought to improve caregiver retention of critical initial hospital discharge instructions using a multidisciplinary, team-based intervention for newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients at high risk for unfavorable outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A multidisciplinary team of pediatric residents, nurses, social workers, pharmacists and hematology/oncology faculty implemented practices to optimize teaching of key discharge material as part of four Plan-Do-Study-Act intervention cycles. An 11-question survey distributed at the first post-discharge clinic visit assessed the efficacy of the intervention, as defined by caregiver retention of critical home instructions.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine caregivers of pediatric cancer patients in an urban academic tertiary-care children's hospital took part in this project. Overall retention of key discharge information was greater in the post-intervention cohort compared to the baseline cohort (median total scores: 89 and 63, respectively; p = .001). Improvements in the proportions of correct responses post-intervention were also observed across all subject matters: from 0.57 to 0.88 for fever guidelines (p = .059), from 0.71 to 0.78 for signs of sepsis (p = .65), from 0.57 to 1.00 for accurate choice of on-call number (p = .004), and from 0.71 to 0.94 for antiemetic management (p = .14).

CONCLUSION

Initiation of our comprehensive cancer-specific program to improve caregiver retention of discharge instructions at the first post-hospitalization clinic visit has been successful and sustainable. This project demonstrated that a multi-disciplinary collaborative team effort increases caregiver retention of critical health information, and this has potential to lead to improved outcomes for patients.

Primeira transição do cuidado hospitalar para domiciliar da criança com câncer: orientações da equipe multiprofissional

Resumo Objetivo Descrever as orientações para a primeira transição do cuidado hospitalar para o domiciliar da criança com câncer sob a ótica da equipe multiprofissional. Método Estudo de abordagem qualitativa do tipo exploratório-descritivo realizado em um Hospital Universitário do Sul do Brasil, com nove profissionais da equipe multiprofissional de uma unidade de internação de oncologia pediátrica entre julho e setembro de 2018. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas submetidas a análise de conteúdo temática. Resultados Foram identificadas três categorias temáticas: planejamento multiprofissional para a alta hospitalar da criança com câncer e sua família; a equipe multiprofissional frente ao processo de alta hospitalar; orientações para a primeira alta hospitalar a famílias de crianças com câncer recém diagnosticado. Conclusão/implicações para prática o planejamento e sistematização multiprofissional para as orientações da primeira alta hospitalar são fundamentais para contemplar as necessidades do paciente e suas famílias, tendo o enfermeiro papel central. Mostram-se necessárias melhorias nesse processo.

Social support of families with tracheostomized children

ABSTRACT Objective: To understand the social support of families with tracheostomized children. Method: Qualitative study using the Model of Dimensions of Social Support together with the Family System-Illness model as theoretical frameworks, based on the hybrid model of thematic analysis. Nine families with tracheostomized children were interviewed in an outpatient pediatric otorhinolaryngology department of a public hospital in the inner state of São Paulo. Results: The experience of social support to each phase of the family experience was presented in three themes: “Knowing the need for a tracheostomy”, “Performing a tracheostomy” and “Living with a tracheostomy”. Final considerations: Understanding how the experience of social support occurs can support assessment and intervention strategies, aiming to meet the demands of the family at each phase of its trajectory, collaborating for a continuous and integral nursing care.

The Use of a Video for Discharge Education for Parents After Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation

Background: Caring for a child at home after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is challenging for parents, and discharge education is critical to ensure parents are prepared. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a discharge video intervention (DVI) as an adjunct to standard discharge teaching (SDT). Method: A two-phase study was conducted at an urban children’s hospital in the western United States. Phase 1 involved SDT alone followed by nurse-administered proficiency testing of parent knowledge in caring for their children at home using a 4-point Likert-type scale of parents of children post-allogeneic HSCT. These results informed the DVI, created in English and Spanish in Phase 2. The DVI content included topics on home cleaning, notifying the medical team, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), diet and visitor restrictions, and outpatient visits. In Phase 2, the DVI was viewable by parents who also received SDT. Parents’ proficiency was evaluated using the same procedure as in Phase 1. Results: Thirty-four parents participated: 17 in Phase 1 (SDT), 17 in Phase 2 (SDT + DVI). The DVI was viewed by parents in Phase 2 approximately twice prior to discharge. Parents in Phase 2 had higher proficiency scores on home cleaning, signs/symptoms of GVHD, and diet restriction. Parents in Phase 1 had higher proficiency regarding notifying the team. Conclusions: The DVI was feasible and demonstrated incremental increases in parent’s proficiency related to some discharge topics.