The complexities of caring for children with cancer and their families require well-prepared nurses. Participants' perceptions of preparedness were influenced by aspects of pre-registration education. Their experiences suggest that curricula should be practice-focused and include a range of placements. Specialist theoretical content must be integrated with practice and transferability of knowledge and skills made explicit. Reflection and problem-based learning may foster coping mechanisms and resilience that will equip them to care for children with cancer.

Aim:To synthesise what is known from current international evidence about how parents are supported by significant others when they are faced with making decisions about their child's cancer care.Background: Parents are faced with making challenging decisions when their child has cancer and may benefit from support. Whilst previous research has comprehensively explored how healthcare professionals can offer support, little attention has been given to how support may be informally provided from a parent's network of significant others.Method: An integrative literature review was undertaken and reported following the ENTREQ framework. Literature was identified from comprehensive database searching across four relevant databases (CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO and British Nursing Database) and hand-searching reference lists of retrieved studies. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were critically appraised and then analysed using the Constant Comparative Analysis method.Results: Twenty-six articles were included in the review. Two overarching themes were identified. Theme 1-Dimensions of Decision-Making support-included three sub-themes: informational, emotional and instrumental mechanisms of support. Theme 2-Expectations of Decision-Making support-identified that parents' expectations of their own role, and the role of their significant others, affected how decision-making was supported. Conclusions:Parents may seek and receive support from various significant members of their network, but there is a fine line between supportive and unsupportive behaviours.Relevance to clinical practice: Each family's unique personal, social and cultural context strongly impacts on their support needs, and nurses and other healthcare professionals should be mindful of how parents may access support from their significant others. Further in-depth research around this area would contribute important knowledge around parents' support needs. Participants Key findings in relation to this literature review Study limitationsSingle parents of children aged less than 18 years receiving treatment for cancer (n = 9: 5 mothers, 4 fathers).

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BackgroundEcomaps are tools used in nursing practice to assess families' social support systems. Whilst ecomaps have previously been used effectively within qualitative research, little attention has been given to them as a tool within the methodological approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. AimTo demonstrate that the use of ecomaps is congruent with the Heideggerian philosophical foundations associated with hermeneutic phenomenology. Reflecting on a study where ecomaps were used to explore how parents of children with cancer are supported with decision-making about their child's care, this paper demonstrates how ecomaps can illuminate nurses' understanding about the experiences of patients and families. DiscussionExploration of the Heideggerian concepts of 'being-in-the-world', 'being-with', and 'temporality' prompted reflections about how constructing ecomaps furthers understanding about participants' unique contexts. Using an ecomap within an in-depth interview enabled participants to return to their experiences of being supported with decision-making, and further developed the researcher's understanding about how each participant's experience was situated within their evolving relationships with others. ConclusionConstructing ecomaps within hermeneutic phenomenology is in tune with Heideggerian philosophical concepts. Ecomaps can open a door to participants' experiences and, combined with understanding of philosophical concepts, can deepen the researcher's understanding and find further meaning in participants' experiences.