Journal of pediatric oncology nursing : official journal of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Oct 1998
A survey of pain services for pediatric oncology patients: their composition and function.
The purpose of this survey was to examine the composition and function of pain services/teams at facilities that provide pain management services to pediatric oncology patients across the United States. A questionnaire was mailed to facilities identified by the 1994 Pain Facilities Directory as providing pain services to cancer patients. Thirty-five facilities that identified oncology patients as one of the primary pediatric populations treated at their institution were the focus of this study. ⋯ Only 17% and 3% of facilities had established written standard guidelines for pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches to pain management, respectively. Most facilities reported using a local anesthetic and conscious sedation to manage bone marrow aspiration and lumbar punctures. Implications from these findings and recommendations for provision of pediatric pain services are discussed.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Apr 1997
ReviewAn analysis of the concept of hope in the adolescent with cancer.
Nursing application of the concept of hope in the pediatric oncology clinical setting is currently in its infancy. This article presents a systematic analysis of the concept of hope for use by the pediatric oncology nurse in the care of the pediatric adolescent oncology patient. ⋯ This article defines critical attributes, antecedents, and consequences of hope; constructs case examples (a model, a borderline, and contrary cases); includes an operational definition of adolescent hopefulness; and summarizes empirical referents of hope. Through clinical assessment of hope in the pediatric adolescent oncology patient and ongoing research of hope in this population, evaluation of the potential benefits of hope to this population's adaptation to varying health states will be further demonstrated.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Jan 1997
ReviewConscious sedation of pediatric oncology patients for painful procedures: development and implementation of a clinical practice protocol.
Pain during treatment procedures is often identified as the most distressing aspect of the entire cancer experience for a child with cancer. The use of conscious sedation may reduce this procedure-related pain and distress. ⋯ The protocol itself is included. A review of the literature on conscious sedation is presented, and implications for pediatric oncology nursing practice are discussed.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Jan 1996
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialPromoting parental use of nonpharmacologic techniques with children during lumbar punctures.
A pretest and posttest with control group design was used to examine the effect of teaching eight children with acute leukocytic leukemia, aged 6 to 14 years, and their parents about selected nonpharmacologic techniques, then to support their use of these techniques during children's lumbar punctures. Children's distress behaviors were observed and recorded during the procedures. ⋯ Preintervention with postintervention comparison of all eight subjects indicated that following intervention, children had lower levels of self-reported pain (P = .09), fewer requests for emotional support (P = .07), fewer expressions of verbal fear (P = .10), and fewer information-seeking questions (P = .10). Comments from children and parents indicate that children benefitted from nonpharmacologic techniques.
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Children with brain tumors are at risk for developing hydrocephalus necessitating placement of a permanent shunt catheter. As comprehensive, interdisciplinary, multispecialty care is required for these patients, the pediatric oncology nurse must become knowledgeable about caring for children with a shunt. This article focuses on the care of the pediatric neuro-oncology patient requiring shunting for hydrocephalus, including a review of cerebrospinal fluid flow and hydrocephalus, determinants of shunt placement, complications of ventriculoperitoneal shunts, and nursing considerations.