Uncertainty and Nursing Needs of Parents with Pediatric Cancer Patients in Different Treatment Phases: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The survival rate of pediatric cancer has increased to 80%, but long-term treatment is required. During treatment, parents experience uncertainty, which affects parents’ quality of life and, even worse, their children’s health; however, the variation of that uncertainty remains under-studied. Thus, it is crucial to understand parents’ nursing needs in each distinct treatment phase to develop relevant educational content. This study investigated the uncertainty level and nursing needs of parents according to their children’s treatment phase. This cross-sectional comparative descriptive study collected survey data from 119 people at a tertiary hospital from December 2017 to April 2018. Nursing needs were ascertained using open-ended questions, and data were analyzed using quantitative content analysis. The uncertainty levels of parents of pediatric cancer patients showed statistically significant differences across treatment phases (F = 8.209, p < 0.001). Parents’ uncertainty was higher in the treatment initiation phase (87.77 ± 13.43) and when treatment was ongoing (83.33 ± 15.10) than in the post-treatment phase (75.35 ± 12.82). All three groups had nursing needs regarding infection control, diet, daily activities of living, and prognosis. Parents’ uncertainty levels and nursing needs differed across treatment phases, suggesting a need for tailored education programs to provide practical support to parents of pediatric cancer patients in each phase.

What is needed by parents of constipated infants and toddlers: A cross-sectional study in China

“…In addition to the place of residence, children's stool traits were also the factors affecting the parents' nursing needs ( p < 0.001), that is, the stool traits were assessed according to the Bristol stool scale, and the harder the stool trait, the higher the parental needs score. This is consistent with the findings of the same type of research ( 39 , 40 ). A previous study showed that large and hard stool was the most frequent symptom among children with functional constipation, hard stool consistency was found in about 93.7% of cases ( 41 ).…”

Fear of progression and its associated factors in parents of children undergoing cancer treatment: A cross‐sectional study

“…Both FoP scores and proportions of dysfunctional levels of FoP in our cohort were higher than those reported in parents of childhood cancer survivors 6 ; the difference may be attributed to different measurement time points. Previous studies have also demonstrated higher levels of PTSS and uncertainty in parents of children undergoing cancer treatment than in those who had completed treatment 31,32 . Notably, the FoP scores and proportions of dysfunctional levels FoP reported in our sample were significantly higher than those of adult cancer patients and their partners 8 .…”

“…Previous studies have also demonstrated higher levels of PTSS and uncertainty in parents of children undergoing cancer treatment than in those who had completed treatment. 31,32 Notably, the FoP scores and proportions of dysfunctional levels FoP reported in our sample were significantly higher than those of adult cancer patients and their partners. 8 Unlike the partners of adult patients, parents are fully responsible for the care of their child; they therefore experience extreme stress and uncertainty, which may place them at a high risk of elevated FoP.…”

Development and Validation of a Caregiving Knowledge Questionnaire for Parents of Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Patients in Malaysia

“…Parents’ knowledge about appropriate home caregiving influences their caregiving practices for the child [ 10 ]. However, parents may have inadequate caregiving knowledge including infection prevention, managing side effects of treatment, and providing emotional support for their child [ 11 ]. Therefore, caregivers’ knowledge in these areas needs to be evaluated.…”