Journal of pediatric oncology nursing : official journal of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Jan 2002
Distraction for children of different ages who undergo repeated needle sticks.
A distraction intervention for pain management and behavioral distress was implemented for six children with chronic illnesses and their parents as the children underwent repeated needle sticks. The children ranged in age from two to eight years. Several different cognitive distractors were used for the children based on their respective developmental levels. ⋯ Concomitant improvements in parental reports of child distress, nurse estimates of child cooperation, and parents' self-report of feeling upset during the medical procedures also were found. Follow-up data were available for one of the successfully treated children. His improvements were maintained for both intramuscular injections and portacatheter accesses over 16 weeks without therapist involvement.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Nov 2001
ReviewPost-dural puncture headache and other complications after lumbar puncture.
In pediatric hematology and oncology specialties, lumbar punctures are frequently performed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Lumbar puncture is a procedure that is generally well tolerated with minimal adverse effects. However, adverse effects do occur. ⋯ This review discusses the general principles in the clinical presentation of adverse effects after lumbar puncture and offers interventions for management. The prevention and the recognition and treatment of adverse effects is the role of the entire health care team that cares for children who require lumbar puncture. As such, implications for the role of nursing are essential before, during, and after a lumbar puncture and are briefly discussed.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Jan 2001
Unconventional therapy use among children with cancer in Saskatchewan.
The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of unconventional therapy use among children with cancer in Saskatchewan, including identification of the most commonly used therapies, and to describe families' expectations and experiences in doing so. Researchers used a cross-sectional survey design with semi-structured telephone interviews to suit the descriptive and exploratory inquiry and the population focus. The personal telephone interviews occurred during the fall and winter of 1996 to 1997, with the parents coming from a wide range of geographic areas in the province of Saskatchewan. ⋯ There is considerable research showing that use of unconventional therapies, also known as complementary or alternative therapies, is high among adult cancer patients. Although it is likely reasonable to assume this may also be true for children, there is almost no research on children's use of unconventional therapies for cancer. Knowing the extent of children's use of unconventional therapies and whether those experiences have been beneficial or harmful is essential for parents and health professionals making quality care decisions for children.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Apr 2000
Identifying nursing research priorities in a pediatric clinical trials cooperative group: the Pediatric Oncology Group experience.
If nurses involved in pediatric oncology clinical trials are to use resources and manpower most effectively, nursing research priorities must be set that meet the nursing care issues of nurses at the bedside. Using a Delphi technique, nurses from the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) were surveyed in Round 1 to discover patient care concerns or other issues in pediatric oncology nursing related to clinical trials. The 87 research ideas generated were reviewed by a panel of nurse experts, and a total of 57 unique research topics were delineated. These topics were then used for Round 2 of the Delphi study, which identified the top 10 nursing research priorities of the POG nurses participating in the study.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Oct 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparison of axillary and infrared tympanic membrane thermometry in a pediatric oncology outpatient setting.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether infrared tympanic membrane thermometry can replace mercury-in-glass temperatures as an assessment tool for detecting fevers earlier and more reliably in a pediatric oncology outpatient setting. A total of 313 patient visits had infrared tympanic temperatures (obtained by using the LighTouch LTX Pedi-Q thermometer (Exergen; Watertown, MA) and axillary temperatures taken simultaneously (obtained by using mercury-in-glass thermometers). Those patients with a normal axillary temperature and an elevated tympanic measurement of 38 degrees C or higher had a follow-up axillary temperature conducted that evening to determine whether an elevated tympanic temperature predicted on coming fever or infection. ⋯ Elevated tympanic temperatures were not predictive of oncoming fever or infection. Fevers were not missed when using the tympanic method. To prevent unnecessary medical intervention, it is recommended that mercury-in-glass thermometers verify elevated tympanic temperatures.