The Bridge between Hospital and Home: Case-Study of a Father’s Experience during Childhood Cancer

Abstract

Aims: To describe the experiences of the parents of children with oncoh ematological diseases related to the continuity of treatment in the home environment. Methods: This is a case study report with a qualitative approach. The participant was a father of a child with leukemia. Findings: After diagnosis, the parents increased their child-related care. Accepting a cancer diagnosis is not easy, especially when it comes to childhood. The diagnosis of cancer caused a lot of pain to the father, who could not accept for a long time the fact that the son has a disease that carries with it an imminent threat of death. To take the child home was a terrifying situation. The physicians and social workers of the hospital passed a significant part of the information to the parents, and the nursing team did not have contact with the parents related to these orientations. Conclusions: The health team should be better prepared to assist families with children with oncohematological diseases. They should be able to answer the questions of the families at any time, and the nursing team, especially the nurse should be more involved in this process.