Journal of pediatric oncology nursing : official journal of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · May 2017
Pilot Evaluation of a Palliative and End-of-Life Communication Intervention for Parents of Children With a Brain Tumor.
Providing timely palliative and end-of-life care (PC/EOL) information to parents of children with a serious illness is a national health care priority. The goals of this study were to determine feasibility, acceptability, and parent responses related to a PC/EOL communication intervention, titled "Communication Plan: Early through End of Life (COMPLETE)" to parents of children with a brain tumor. The study was a 2-site prospective, single-group pilot study targeting parents' stress and coping outcomes. ⋯ Over time, more than half of the parents (61.5%) preferred to receive information about their child's current condition and PC/EOL options. Our findings provide evidence to suggest that the COMPLETE intervention is feasible and acceptable and produces promising effects on 3 parent outcomes (ie, decision regret, hope, and uncertainty) in parents of children with a brain tumor. Further research is indicated to evaluate COMPLETE with a larger sample of parents of children with cancer and with a control group.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Mar 2017
ReviewChallenges Evaluating Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Childhood Cancer Survivors.
Children treated for cancer are exposed to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents with known toxicity to the peripheral nervous system. The side effect of peripheral neuropathy can cause changes in sensation, function, and even cause pain. ⋯ This article has reviewed existing literature examining peripheral neuropathy in childhood cancer survivors with particular interest paid to measurement tools available and needs for future research. It is important for nurses to choose appropriate measures for clinical care and research methods in order to have an impact on patients experiencing this condition.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Mar 2017
An Online Educational Program Improves Pediatric Oncology Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Spiritual Care Competence.
This study evaluated the potential impact of an online spiritual care educational program on pediatric nurses' attitudes toward and knowledge of spiritual care and their competence to provide spiritual care to children with cancer at the end of life. It was hypothesized that the intervention would increase nurses' positive attitudes toward and knowledge of spiritual care and increase nurses' level of perceived spiritual care competence. A positive correlation was expected between change in nurses' perceived attitudes toward and knowledge of spiritual care and change in nurses' perceived spiritual care competence. ⋯ There was a positive relationship between change scores in nurses' attitudes toward and knowledge of spiritual care and nurses' spiritual care competence. Online spiritual care educational programs may exert a lasting impact on nurses' attitudes toward and knowledge of spiritual care and their competence to provide spiritual care to children with cancer at the end of life. Additional studies are required to evaluate the direct effects of educational interventions patient outcomes.
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Symptom assessment is an emergent area of research in pediatric cancer. Our team previously reported on the development of a questionnaire to be completed by parents to determine symptom prevalence and bother. This exploratory study examined parental nonprobed, free-text comments about their child's treatment-related symptoms reported on the questionnaire. ⋯ These exploratory findings provide context to parental perception of their child's treatment-related symptoms and may contribute to a better understanding of parental perception of child and the family coping and communicating style. These findings may assist in the development of psychoeducational interventions aimed at promoting open communication styles within the family and reducing child and parent burden during treatment procedures.
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J Pediatr Oncol Nurs · Jan 2017
Perceptions of a Primary Nursing Care Model in a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit.
The primary nursing care model optimizes relationship-based care. Despite using a primary nursing model on a pediatric hematology/oncology inpatient unit, it was hypothesized patients and nurses were dissatisfied with the structure of primary care teams and inconsistency of primary assignments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient/family and nurse perceptions of our current care model through assessing gaps in its operationalization and satisfaction. ⋯ Similarly, 63% of the 57 nurse respondents are satisfied with the current implementation of our primary nursing model and 61% state the model reflects good continuity of care. Yet 80.7% of nurses believe safety would improve for a patient whose nurse works shifts consecutively even if not a primary nurse. Overall, patients, families, and nurses value care continuity and meaningful nurse-patient relationships, which is fundamental to primary nursing.