The role of Connected Health technologies in supporting families affected by paediatric cancer: A systematic review

A qualitative exploration of nurses' views on technology-based interventions in pediatric oncology care

OBJECTIVES

Recent technological advancements offer tools for pediatric oncology care, but their integration into clnical practice is still under research. This study aimed to explore pediatric oncology nurses' perspectives on integrating technology-based interventions into care.

METHODS

A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was conducted with 13 pediatric oncology nurses. The focus groups were led by the research members, and each group included four to five participants. Nurses were asked to discuss their perceptions of the technology-based intervention, the type of technology used in the clinic, and the advantages and disadvantages of the technology. The focus groups were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. The transcripts were analyzed thematically by two study team members using MAXQDA. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research were followed.

RESULTS

The mean age of nurses was 38.46 ± 5.23 years and 92.3 % had more than 10 years of professional experience. As a result of the focus group interviews, three main themes and seven sub-themes were identified. These main themes included: (i) Need for competence and training for technology-based interventions, (ii) Effectiveness of technology-based interventions in pediatric patient care, and (iii) Challenges in integrating technology-based interventions into care.

CONCLUSION

The study found that from the perspective of pediatric oncology nurses, technology-based interventions have multifaceted benefits and are effective in improving patient outcomes and care; however, nurses' limited ability to use technology-based interventions restricts them from integrating their care.

IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE

It is recommended that nurses should be trained on technology-based interventions and the safe use of these interventions.

Healthcare personnel's perspectives on health technology in home-based pediatric palliative care: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

In the context of pediatric palliative care, where the quality of life of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions is of utmost importance, the integration of health technology must support the provision of care. Research has highlighted the role of healthcare personnel when utilizing health technology in home-based pediatric palliative care, but specific knowledge of healthcare personnel's views on the technological relevance remains limited. Therefore, our study has explored potentials and limitations of health technology in home-based pediatric palliative care from the perspectives of healthcare personnel.

METHODS

Our study utilized a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory design, including five focus groups with a total of 22 healthcare personnel. The participants were selected from various health regions in Norway and were experienced in providing home-based pediatric palliative care. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we interpreted data obtained from focus groups, identified patterns, and developed themes.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in the development of three intersecting themes: balancing in-person interaction and time in home-based pediatric palliative care; exchange of information can improve timely and appropriate care; and the power of visual documentation in pediatric palliative care. The healthcare personnel acknowledged difficulties in fully replacing in-person interaction with health technology. However, they also emphasized potentials of health technology to facilitate information sharing and the ability to access a child's health record within interdisciplinary teams.

CONCLUSION

The results underscored that technology can support pediatric palliative care but must be thoughtfully integrated to ensure an individualized patient-centered approach. To maximize the benefits of health technology in enhancing home-based pediatric palliative care, future research should address the limitations of current health technology and consider the opinions for information sharing between relevant healthcare team members, the child, and their family.

The Transplantation Ecosystem: A New Concept to Improve Access and Outcomes for Older Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Patients

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is increasingly offered to older adults with hematologic malignancies, even though nonrelapse mortality remains a major concern in older patients owing to more comorbidities and greater frailty compared with their younger counterparts. The importance of patient fitness, a well-matched donor, and disease control to the success of allogeneic HCT have been well documented; however, these factors fail to account for the impact of the complex transplantation ecosystem (TE) that older adult HCT candidates must navigate. We propose a definition of the TE modeled after the social determinants of health. Furthermore, we outline a research agenda aimed at increasing understanding of the roles of individual social determinants of transplantation health in the larger ecosystem and how they may benefit or harm older adult HCT candidates. Herein we define the TE and its individual tenets, the social determinants of transplantation health. We review the available literature while incorporating the expertise of the membership of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Special Interest Group for Aging. The membership of the ASTCT Special Interest Group for Aging identify knowledge gaps and strategies to address them for each of the described social determinants of transplantation health. The ecosystem is an essential but underappreciated pillar for transplant access and success. We put forth this novel research agenda seeking to gain a better understanding of the complexity of HCT in older adults and develop strategies to improve access to HCT, survival, and quality of life.

One Hundred Times Better, at Home in Our Own Beds: Implementation of Home Intravenous Hydration After Chemotherapy in Children With Cancer

Background: Home-based cancer care offers new ways of delivering supportive therapies, including post-chemotherapy hydration, traditionally delivered in hospital settings. Understanding how programs are developed and how parents perceive managing care at home offers opportunities to improve services and experiences. Aim: To describe the implementation process and evaluation of a home intravenous hydration program for children with cancer and thus to provide practical information for future initiatives. Methods: Data were prospectively collected on clinical impact, safety indicators, and estimated costs; these were tabulated and analysed. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a subset of parents regarding their experience and analysed using content analysis. Results: Over 34 months, 21 children were eligible, and 16 parents were educated and assessed competent with providing home care. All 16 children received home hydration with a median of 5.5 days per child (IQR 6.65 days). This avoided 116 hospital bed-days and associated costs, at an estimated total value of USD $ 105,521, on average saving USD $ 910 per day and USD $ 6,596 per child. There were no adverse events reported, and no child required re-admission to hospital while receiving home hydration. Parents were overwhelmingly positive in their feedback about the program. Verbatim quotes were synthesized under one overarching theme-supporting normality promotes recovery. Conclusion: When adequately trained and well supported, parents highly value providing home-based care to their children. This offers opportunities to improve experiences and outcomes for children and families as well as reduce costs to health services, achieving clinical impact without reducing safety.

Digital health and telehealth in cancer care: a scoping review of reviews

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote cancer care delivery via the internet and telephone, rapidly accelerating an already growing care delivery model and associated research. This scoping review of reviews characterised the peer-reviewed literature reviews on digital health and telehealth interventions in cancer published from database inception up to May 1, 2022, from PubMed, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Cochrane Reviews, and Web of Science. Eligible reviews conducted a systematic literature search. Data were extracted in duplicate via a pre-defined online survey. Following screening, 134 reviews met the eligibility criteria. 77 of those reviews were published since 2020. 128 reviews summarised interventions intended for patients, 18 addressed family caregivers, and five addressed health-care providers. 56 reviews did not target a specific phase of the cancer continuum, whereas 48 reviews tended to address the active treatment phase. 29 reviews included a meta-analysis, with results showing positive effects on quality of life, psychological outcomes, and screening behaviours. 83 reviews did not report intervention implementation outcomes but when reported, 36 reported acceptability, 32 feasibility, and 29 fidelity outcomes. Several notable gaps were identified in these literature reviews on digital health and telehealth in cancer care. No reviews specifically addressed older adults, bereavement, or sustainability of interventions and only two reviews focused on comparing telehealth to in-person interventions. Addressing these gaps with rigorous systematic reviews might help guide continued innovation in remote cancer care, particularly for older adults and bereaved families, and integrate and sustain these interventions within oncology.

Utility, barriers and facilitators to the use of connected health to support families impacted by paediatric cancer: a qualitative analysis

AIM

As healthcare systems are increasingly burdened, the efficiencies and cost savings offered by connected health (CH, i.e. two-way communicative healthcare technologies such as eHealth or mHealth) present an attractive solution for supporting families impacted by cancer. More research is required, however, to examine attitudes towards CH to better facilitate its use in practice. This study seeks to examine the utility, barriers and facilitators of CH use for families affected by paediatric cancer living in Ireland.

METHODS

Healthcare professionals (n = 5) and parents of children with cancer (n = 7) completed semi-structured interviews on their experiences of and attitudes to CH via Microsoft Teams. A reflexive thematic approach to analysis was employed.

RESULTS

CH was perceived to provide support for a number of current needs with themes of 'shifting responsibilities', 'individualisation of care' and 'knowledge as power'. Through facilitating communication, information sharing and monitoring of child health, CH was perceived to support decreased parental burden and increased parental control, with positive child outcomes thought likely. Perceived barriers and facilitators to the use of CH included the 'importance of trust', 'pace of change' and 'access'.

CONCLUSION

While results suggest an acceptance of CH across key stakeholders, barriers and facilitators should be considered to support effective implementation. While further analysis of the efficacy of CH to support families impacted by paediatric cancer is needed, these findings highlight key areas where CH may be effectively employed.

Interventions and strategies to improve social support for caregivers of children with chronic diseases: An umbrella review

BACKGROUND

Social support is an important approach to improve the psychosocial health status and promote positive coping for caregivers of children with chronic diseases. Such an approach can reduce parenting stress, help resolve parenting difficulties through the use of various social support relationships.

METHODS

We performed an umbrella review methodology using the method of examination, analysis and synthesis of systematic reviews. A PRISMA flow diagram was used to show the search process. The Joanna Briggs Institute was used to appraise the quality of papers and a narrative synthesis was undertaken. Relevant English and Chinese systematic reviews were searched in Embase, PubMed, Web of science, OVID, CNKI, CBM, Wan Fang and Cochrane Library databases, until November 2021, June 2022.

RESULTS

Out of 1,905 records, we included fourteen systematic reviews for a synthesis. Evidence to promote social support for caregivers of children with chronic diseases was identified from four key aspects: (i) Intervention content; (ii) Intervention forms; (iii) Intervention time; and (iv) Sources of support.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this review suggest that a combination of differing interventions, especially for early family, including the content of parenting training or education, attitude building and resource provision, which can implement online is recommend. More interventional studies and quantitative evidence syntheses are still needed.

IMPACT

Adequate social support is essential to promote the psychological wellbeing of caregivers of children with chronic diseases. In the early stage of children's diseases, integrating different content and forms of interventions for caregivers' families and actively helping caregivers to identify available support resources can improve social support. The findings from this review can be used to guide caregivers of children with chronic diseases and provide evidence for healthcare professionals and social workers to carry out relevant interventions.

Home-Based Pediatric Cancer Care: Perspectives and Improvement Suggestions From Children, Family Caregivers, and Clinicians

PURPOSE

Although the hospital remains the dominant site for delivering most pediatric cancer care, home-based care is increasingly provided. To effectively deliver comprehensive, relevant, and acceptable care in children's homes, the voices of these key informants must be considered. We examined the views of children with cancer, their family caregivers, and clinicians on home-based cancer care to identify necessary strategies to improve the delivery of care.

METHODS

Children with cancer, their family caregivers, and multiprofessional clinicians who provide care at a tertiary pediatric care center or in the community participated in audio-recorded, semistructured interviews in French and English. Interviews were conducted until data saturation in each participant group was achieved. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Thirteen children, 20 family caregivers, and 22 clinicians participated. Home-based care was endorsed as a means to improve child health-, family social- and financial-, and system-level outcomes. The success of a home-based model is built on care that addresses child and family informational, treatment and care, material, and psychosocial needs. Mechanisms to improve care include enhanced homecare agency-hospital-family communication, training for homecare nurses in pediatric cancer care, virtual solutions, and an expanded breadth of services provided in-home. Child-, family-, and system-related factors affect the delivery of optimal home-based care.

CONCLUSION

Children, families, and clinicians value a model of pediatric cancer care that incorporates home-based services. The insights of these key informants should be reflected in the principles that become the basis of home-based cancer care best practices.