The Perceptions of Children and Adolescents with Cancer Regarding Nurses’ Communication Behaviors during Needle Procedures

Abstract

Communicating with children and adolescents with cancer during a needle procedure can prove challenging for healthcare professionals. Objective: Our aim was to explore the perceptions of children and adolescents with cancer regarding communication with nurses during needle procedures. Method: Thus was a qualitative phenomenological study. Data were gathered through seven in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of children and adolescents with cancer. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to identify themes in the participants’ narratives. Results: The analysis revealed three themes describing participants’ experience: (1) nurses need to explain clearly what they are going to do while also allowing children to express their emotions without feeling coerced; (2) nurses need to be honest and approachable and relate to children as active participants in the treatment process; and (3) it is distressing to hear other children who are undergoing a needle procedure cry out in pain. Further application of the constant comparison method yielded a core theme: (4) the pressures faced by oncology nurses lead them to focus on the technical side of procedures at the expense of their young patients’ communication needs. Conclusion: We suggest that hospital managers need to ensure that oncology nurses have sufficient training in communication skills and are confident in their ability to respect and respond to the communication preferences and needs of patients.

Factors of well-being of youth with complex medical conditions from the experience of hospitalization and convalescence: A pilot study

“…The literature includes various studies addressing the impact of hospitalization in CMC from the youth’s point of view (e.g., [ 104 ]) on their needs (e.g., [ 105 ]) and supportive care (e.g., [ 106 ]). However, a gap still exists with regard to some concrete issues, such as hospitalization and readmission [ 107 ] or isolation [ 104 ], and the same is true for suffering, spiritual pain, or emotional stress regarding further procedures—especially those involving needle procedures [ 108 ]. Future studies should conduct comparative longitudinal studies with and without intervention-related parenting and child- and family-centered care, which would allow to see the features that improve QoL and well-being in the family group.…”