Safety and family satisfaction of a home-delivered chemotherapy program for children with cancer

National expert consensus on home-administered oncologic therapies in Spain

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer impose a significant emotional and psychological burden on patients, families, and caregivers. Patients undergo several interventions in a hospital setting, and the increasing number of patients requiring extended care and follow-up is driving the demand for additional clinical resources to address their needs. Hospital at Home (HaH) teams have introduced home-administered oncologic therapies that represent a new model of patient-centered cancer care. This approach can be integrated with traditional models and offers benefits to both patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Home-administered treatment programs have been successfully piloted globally, demonstrated as a preferred option for most patients and a safe alternative that could reduce costs and hospital burden. The document aims to establish the minimum recommendations for the home administration of oncologic therapies (ODAH) based on a national expert agreement. The expert panel comprised seven leading members from diverse Spanish societies and three working areas: clinical and healthcare issues, logistical and administrative issues, and economic, social, and legal issues. The recommendations outlined in this article were obtained after a comprehensive literature review and thorough discussions. This document may serve as a basis for the future development of home-administered oncologic therapy programs in Spain. .

Home hospitalization of the acute patient: a new approach to care

Pediatric hospitalization at home (HAH) aims to provide the patient and his family with an alternative to conventional hospitalization, safely and effectively, improving the quality of life of the patient and his family. The most frequent pathologies in HAH in pediatric acute patients are acute respiratory pathology and bacterial infections that require parenteral antibiotic therapy. The success of an acute patient home hospitalization program relies on the proper selection of patients and exhaustive training of caregivers, as well as good communication and coordination between the different services and levels of care involved.

One Hundred Times Better, at Home in Our Own Beds: Implementation of Home Intravenous Hydration After Chemotherapy in Children With Cancer

Background: Home-based cancer care offers new ways of delivering supportive therapies, including post-chemotherapy hydration, traditionally delivered in hospital settings. Understanding how programs are developed and how parents perceive managing care at home offers opportunities to improve services and experiences. Aim: To describe the implementation process and evaluation of a home intravenous hydration program for children with cancer and thus to provide practical information for future initiatives. Methods: Data were prospectively collected on clinical impact, safety indicators, and estimated costs; these were tabulated and analysed. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a subset of parents regarding their experience and analysed using content analysis. Results: Over 34 months, 21 children were eligible, and 16 parents were educated and assessed competent with providing home care. All 16 children received home hydration with a median of 5.5 days per child (IQR 6.65 days). This avoided 116 hospital bed-days and associated costs, at an estimated total value of USD $ 105,521, on average saving USD $ 910 per day and USD $ 6,596 per child. There were no adverse events reported, and no child required re-admission to hospital while receiving home hydration. Parents were overwhelmingly positive in their feedback about the program. Verbatim quotes were synthesized under one overarching theme-supporting normality promotes recovery. Conclusion: When adequately trained and well supported, parents highly value providing home-based care to their children. This offers opportunities to improve experiences and outcomes for children and families as well as reduce costs to health services, achieving clinical impact without reducing safety.

Attending pediatric acutely ill patients at home: families' socioeconomic characterization, expectations, and experiences

BACKGROUND

SJD a Casa is an acute pediatric hospital-at-home program that was initiated in 2019. For a thorough understanding of acute pediatric homecare programs, an analysis of all related factors, including the medical, social, and economic aspects as well as the family's experience, is essential. However, no previous study has attempted a comprehensive evaluation of this topic in relation to a complex program such as ours (in terms of the diseases and treatments offered). In this study, we aimed to finely characterize the population that opts for pediatric homecare programs and obtain a thorough understanding of the families' needs, which will improve our understanding of the program and potentially reveal possible deficiencies.

METHODS

This prospective quantitative and qualitative study involved collection of ordinal data as well as statements made by the caregivers of patients undergoing homecare. A total of 372/532 families were asked to answer two independent questionnaires (preadmission and postadmission) that evaluated their socioeconomic characteristics; expectations and experiences; and factors influencing the preference for homecare. The results were presented as frequencies and comparisons (Fisher's exact test).

RESULTS

The families had an adequate social network and a less-than-expected workload, and most families responded that they would have repeated the experience despite the workload. The expectations regarding the caregiver's well-being at home were better than the actual situation, since some caregivers experienced anxiety or fear. The rating for homecare was better than that for the inpatient care offered before the homecare transfer.

CONCLUSIONS

Families included in the program were content with the homecare program and mostly responded that they would repeat the experience if needed. Although the duration of the program was short-term, some caregivers may experience symptoms of burnout like anxiety, which should be taken into consideration. Despite its limitations, this study offers the possibility of improving our service portfolio by focusing on vulnerable families' access to the program and the caregiver's risk of burnout.

Safety and Feasibility of Home Transfusions in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Preliminary Report

BACKGROUND

While hematological symptoms are considered difficult to manage in a Pediatric Palliative Care setting, home may still represent a safe and convenient place for transfusions in patients with advanced malignancy or chronic conditions. This research focuses on the safety and feasibility of a home transfusion program.

METHODS

This is a case series of patients between 0 and 18 years diagnosed with advanced malignancy or incurable chronic conditions and eligible to Pediatric Palliative Care who received home platelet or packed red cell transfusions. For all patients, we recorded adverse events such as acute hemolytic reactions, allergic reactions, or any emergency condition requiring hospital admission, equipment failure, blood product transport or storage errors, errors in patient identification, and personnel safety issues. We explored parental satisfaction with a Likert-type questionnaire and short open questions.

RESULTS

We reviewed 101 transfusion procedures for six patients in Pediatric Palliative Care performed by the Regional Pediatric Palliative Care network between 2014 and 2020. We did not report any adverse effects. Families reported satisfaction and a sense of safety and positively evaluated the opportunity of having transfusion at home to minimize the disruption in everyday life. The cost analysis resulted in a consistent saving for the Regional Health System.

CONCLUSION

This study supports the safety and feasibility of home transfusion in Pediatric Palliative Care.