Impacts of the pandemic on children and adolescents with cancer: scoping review

Abstract

Objective: To identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health care of children and youth with oncological diseases. Method: Scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological framework. To describe the research question, the population, concept, and context (PCC) strategy was used. The searches occurred in September 2022 in the BVS, Cinahl, Scopus, Lilacs, and PubMed databases, with the following descriptors: cancer; children; teenagers; pandemic; Covid; oncology; child; adolescent; and neoplasia. Rayyan software was used to select the studies, following the PRISMA recommendations. The content analysis method proposed by Bardin was used. Result: There were several impacts of the pandemic on care for children and adolescents’ oncology, related to daily life, the need to (re)organize health services, and, in this context, barriers were identified in maintaining treatment, postponing/reducing the offer of care, which impacted the reduction of specialized professionals and the supply of surgeries, and reduction of inputs and medicines. In the emotional sphere, the impacts were related to the intensification of feelings of fear and anxiety. Conclusion: In addition to the impacts caused by the pandemic, the need for awareness raising and support work for children and their families by primary care and specialized care teams became evident when they could not be assisted by other services, in addition to continued care at home.