A survey of pain services for pediatric oncology patients: their composition and function

Can End of Life Care for the Pediatric Patient Suffering With Escalating and Intractable Symptoms Be Improved?

Over twelve thousand children are diagnosed each year with cancer, and approximately 2200 children die each year from the disease. A percentage of these patients experiences escalating and intractable distress with symptoms that include pain, dyspnea, and agitation. These symptoms may continue for hours to days. Intractable symptoms of pain, agitation, and dyspnea can be very distressing to the patient, family, and staff and often a challenge for the physicians and nursing staff to treat. To meet this challenge, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Children's Hospital Cancer Care Program has made it a priority to create a process of care that includes identifying barriers to care and the development of an end-of-life (EOL) rapid response model that includes guidelines and physiciantemplated orders for rapid escalation of opioids. The goal of this quality-improvement initiative was to develop a model of care that would enable the caregivers to provide effective comfort care to any patient experiencing symptoms of rapid escalation of pain, dyspnea, and agitation. A model of care was created to overcome barriers to care. The model includes role clarification, “Guidelines for the Management of Escalating Pain/Dyspnea/Agitation at the End of Life,” and “Rapid Titration-Templated Physician Orders.” Staff feedback was solicited relative to the content, format, and usability of the guidelines and templated orders. The physician and nursing staff reported that they found the templated orders and guidelines very helpful and effective and suggested only a few edits. A retrospective chart review is currently under way. The purpose of this chart review is to systematically document and compare the record of management of rapidly escalating symptoms of pain and/or dyspnea and/or agitation prior to and after instituting the EOL Rapid Response Model of Care. Care of the EOL patient experiencing symptoms of pain, dyspnea, and agitation is challenging. The EOL Rapid Response Model of Care outlines a process of care and provides recommendations and templated physician orders for rapid titration of opioids.

Symptom Management Research in Children With Cancer

A review of the clinical research studies published within the past 5 years revealed that efforts to manage symptoms of cancer and its treatments have not kept pace with new advances in the cure for cancer. Children with cancer continue to experience distressing physical symptoms caused by the disease and treatment. The purpose of this article is to provide a concise overview of the most common symptoms experienced by children with cancer. These symptoms include pain, nausea and vomiting, nutritional concerns, mucositis, and fatigue experienced by the child with cancer. Recommendations for future research are addressed.

Children's positive dispositional attributes, parents' empathic responses, and children's responses to painful pediatric oncology treatment procedures

Pain/distress during pediatric cancer treatments has substantial psychosocial consequences for children and families. The authors examined relationships between children's positive dispositional attributes, parents' empathic responses, and children's pain/distress responses to treatment procedures. Participants were 41 pediatric cancer patients and parents. Several weeks before treatment, parents rated children's resilience and positive dimensions of temperament. Parents' pretreatment empathic affective responses to their children were assessed. Children's pain/distress during treatments was rated by multiple independent raters. Children's resilience was significantly and positively associated with parents' empathic affective responses and negatively associated with children's pain/distress. Children's adaptability and attention focusing also showed positive relationships (p < 0.10) with parents' empathic responses. Parents' empathic responses mediated effects of children's resilience on children's pain/distress. Children's positive dispositional attributes influence their pain/distress during cancer treatments; however, these effects may be mediated by parents' empathic responses. These relationships provide critical understanding of the influence of parent-child relationships on coping with treatment.

Procedural Distress in Children With Cancer

OBJECTIVES

To examine the relationship among different indicators of pain and distress, including self-report, behavioral observations, and physiological parameters, in children with cancer undergoing invasive procedures.

METHODS

Forty-eight children between the ages of 3.1 and 17.7 years were evaluated while undergoing lumbar punctures. Self-report measures assessed anxiety, pain, self-efficacy, expectations of coping strategies, and coping self-efficacy. Parents reported on their own and their child's levels of anxiety, and physicians estimated their own level of stress and technical difficulty in completing the procedure. Behavioral observations were made prior to, during, and after the procedure. Physiological parameters included heart rate, cardiac vagal tone, and salivary cortisol. At the discretion of attending physicians, 32 children received deep sedation, 9 received light sedation, and 7 received cognitive-behavioral strategies with topical anesthetic as interventions to manage procedural distress.

RESULTS

There was a high degree of consistency within self-report, behavioral, and physiological parameters, but correlations between measures in different modalities were low. There were floor effects for most behavioral and self-report measures of distress. Cortisol showed marked changes preprocedure to postprocedure, demonstrating high levels of physiological response despite lack of apparent or perceived discomfort. Heart rate was significantly lower in the group using cognitive-behavioral techniques, especially at the point of needle insertion.

DISCUSSION

Self-report measures, behavioral indicators, and physiological changes are not interchangeable outcomes. Treatment strategies were effective for minimizing subjective and behavioral distress, but not necessarily for physiological reactions. Future research should focus on individual differences in these responses, and treatment outcome studies aimed at reducing distress must be clear about the specific goals of intervention.

Issues and challenges in palliative care for children with cancer

Although the majority of children with cancer are cured of their illness, the children who die from their disease or complications require special care at the end of life. We present special issues and challenges unique to pediatric palliative care and suggest ways in which we can face these issues and address the challenges. The care must be family centered and balance the needs of the health-care system, the child, and the family. The way in which the care is delivered, the services provided, and the place in which that care is given are not carved into a simple protocol. Quality of life is an important concept that is often overlooked. Educational initiatives for patients, families, health-care providers, and third-party payers are essential. Reimbursement for palliative care services presents a large barrier to provision of appropriate services to all children and families in need. Hypothesis-driven research must be developed to help us learn more about how best to deliver end-of-life care to children and their families.

Issues and challenges in palliative care for children with cancer

Although the majority of children with cancer are cured of their illness, the children who die from their disease or complications require special care at the end of life. We present special issues and challenges unique to pediatric palliative care and suggest ways in which we can face these issues and address the challenges. The care must be family centered and balance the needs of the health-care system, the child, and the family. The way in which the care is delivered, the services provided, and the place in which that care is given are not carved into a simple protocol. Quality of life is an important concept that is often overlooked. Educational initiatives for patients, families, health-care providers, and third-party payers are essential. Reimbursement for palliative care services presents a large barrier to provision of appropriate services to all children and families in need. Hypothesis-driven research must be developed to help us learn more about how best to deliver end-of-life care to children and their families.

Managing side effects of childhood cancer treatment

This article focuses on the nurse's role as a member of the supportive care team for the child diagnosed with cancer and the family. The most common side effects of the cancer treatment are discussed in depth in this article. The adequate management of the side effects experienced by the child receiving cancer therapy may greatly influence the child's quality of life.

Pain practices: a cross-Canada survey of pediatric oncology centers

Before implementing a pain education program, the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology conducted a national survey on cancer pain management. The survey focused primarily on adult cancer pain and a second survey was undertaken to describe the supports in place across Canada for best practice pediatric cancer pain management. Twenty-eight pediatric cancer centers responded to a survey that was composed of 48 questions about the types of supports that are in place related to pain assessment, management, and pain-related staff and family education. Results of the survey indicated that, for the most part, children have access to the components of best practice pain management. In addition, areas of strength and areas that need to be further developed were identified and the implications for the findings discussed.

A feminist critique of research on cancer pain

A number of studies on cancer pain have been conducted but the researchers rarely considered gender and ethnic differences in cancer pain. In this article, nursing research on cancer pain is critiqued from a feminist perspective, and directions for future nursing research are proposed. A total of 82 nursing articles published in the United States were retrieved through MEDLINE and MELVYL data retrieval systems, and analyzed and critiqued in terms of four basic elements of research from a feminist perspective (bias as resources, dependability, credibility and adequacy, and intersubjectivity). In this article, the critique is presented with four themes that may provide reasons why nursing research on cancer pain rarely incorporated gender and ethnic differences: absence of participants' own views and experiences, androcentrism and ethnocentrism, lack of consideration on contextual factors, and distant relationships between researchers and research participants. To overcome the limitations, six critical elements including gender and ethnic sensitivity, avoidance of distorted views, respectfor participants' own views and interests, trust and openness, empowerment, and multiple methods are suggested to be incorporated in future nursing research on cancer pain.

All the king's horses and all the king's men: pain management from hospital to home

Pain management in children with cancer continues to be less than adequate in most settings. Children in pain often have multiple caregivers, each imposing a significant risk to adequate pain management if they are uninformed about the principles of pain management and the child's specific pain management regimen. This article reviews current pain management guidelines for children, obstacles to adequate pain management, and the challenges of managing pain across care settings (hospital to home). Using the hospice model of care, case studies are presented that illustrate both threats to adequate pain control and the coordination of care necessary to ensure consistent pain management between the hospital and home. Implications for improvement in pain management between settings and future directions for advancing skills and knowledge related to pain management in children with cancer are provided.