Palliative care in pediatric hematological oncology patients: experience of a tertiary hospital

Nurses' Perspectives Regarding Challenges of Providing Perinatal/Neonatal End-of-Life Care in a Regional Hospital: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

AIM

This qualitative study aimed to explore nurses' perspectives regarding the challenges of providing perinatal/neonatal end-of-life care in a regional hospital.

METHODS

This exploratory qualitative study was conducted with 20 nurses working in Turkey. Study data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured individual interviews. The interviews were then submitted to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged from analyses of the interviews: (1) inadequate support for delivery of palliative care, (2) perceptions of family readiness, and (3) providing information/education to the family. The most prominent difficulties experienced by nurses were inadequacy of unit and equipment and lack of trained personnel. Another important issue that stood out was families' not accepting the end-of-life care decision for the fetus or the neonate and their having unrealistic expectations.

CONCLUSION

Study results have provided important considerations for regional isolated neonatal and perinatal units, and they will be used to inform clinical practice improvements, staff education support, policies/procedures, family support, and further research relating to end-of-life care provision for the most vulnerable babies and their families.

Effects of the application of therapeutic massage in children with cancer: a systematic review

Objective:

to learn about the effects of the use of therapeutic massage in children with cancer.

Method:

systematic review of controlled clinical trials The search was conducted in November 2014 in the following databases: Pubmed, CSIC, Dialnet, Scopus, Cochrane and PEDro. Inclusion criteria were: clinical trials, published in English or Spanish, analyzing the effects of massage on the different stages and types of childhood cancer (between 1 and 18 years old).

Results:

of 1007 articles found, 7 met the inclusion criteria. Their authors use different massage techniques (Swedish massage, effleurage, petrissage, frictions, pressures), obtaining benefits in the symptoms present during the illness (decrease of pain, nausea, stress, anxiety and increase of white blood cells and neutrophils).

Conclusion:

therapeutic massage improves the symptoms of children with cancer, but there is a need for more research that may support the effects attributed to it.