The information needs of relatives of childhood cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review of qualitative evidence

The information needs of relatives of childhood cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review of quantitative evidence

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to: (1) summarize the quantitative evidence on the information needs of relatives of childhood cancer patients, survivors, and children deceased from cancer; and (2) identify factors associated with these needs.

METHODS

PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL were systematically searched. The methodological quality of all included publications was assessed, and the extracted data were analyzed using narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

Of 5810 identified articles, 45 were included. Information needs were classified as unmet, met (satisfied), and unspecified and categorized into five domains: medical information, cancer-related consequences, lifestyle, family, and support. Most unmet information needs concerned cancer-related consequences (e.g., late effects), while information needs on support were generally met. Migrant background and higher education were associated with higher information needs among parents. Siblings had lower information needs than parents.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the information needs of relatives in the context of childhood cancer, showing that information on cancer-related consequences is needed most often. The socioeconomic background of the relatives needs continued consideration throughout the cancer trajectory.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Our findings suggest the need for personalized information. Healthcare professionals should adapt their communication strategies to respond to the different and evolving needs of all affected relatives.

Experiences of paediatric terminal oncology patients and their parents in palliative care: A qualitative systematic review

PROBLEM

The terminal phase of childhood cancer poses profound physical and mental challenges for children, simultaneously influencing parents and rendering them particularly susceptible to psychosocial issues.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

This review included studies exploring the experiences of either: (1) paediatric terminal oncology patients aged under 18 years, (2) parents with a child facing terminal cancer undergoing palliative care, or (3) parents with a child who had undergone palliative care and died. English language, qualitative journal studies or grey literature of any care settings, geographical locations and publication years were included. Studies exploring the experiences of (1) paediatric terminal oncology not receiving palliative care from qualified healthcare professionals, and (3) non-biological parents or non-parental family members, were excluded.

SAMPLE

A total of 22 studies were included, published between January 2000 and December 2023. Seventy-two children (aged between 5 and 18 years old) and 236 parents (aged between 24 and 57 years old) participated across all studies. Palliative care settings mostly comprised oncology centres, hospitals and homes.

RESULTS

Two themes were identified from the 22 included studies: (1) Navigating rough waters and enduring hardships, and (2) Preparing for end-of-life amidst the looming threat of death.

CONCLUSIONS

This review underscored the importance of integrating palliative childhood cancer care in a holistic, age-specific, family-centred, person-centred and timely manner.

IMPLICATIONS

Paediatric oncology nurses should attend to physical and psychosocial needs of children and parents, fostering familial and social ties while recognising cultural and spiritual needs. Future research could recruit participants of varying ages, genders, and cultures.

Healthcare Communication Experiences of Hispanic Caregivers of Childhood Cancer Survivors

BACKGROUND

Interpersonal communication is a crucial component of the cancer experience that can contribute to managing cancer care and improving cancer survivors' and caregivers' quality of life. Cultural and contextual factors may impact Hispanic childhood cancer survivor (CCS) and parent caregiver relationships and communication. This study sought to describe the healthcare communication experiences of Hispanic parents with CCS, families, and medical providers.

METHODS

We conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with Hispanic caregivers from a safety-net hospital in Los Angeles County. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, audio-recorded and professionally transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic approach.

RESULTS

Caregivers shared the importance and impact of medical communication when exploring the "first big talk" of the diagnosis, uncertainty about treatment, navigating multiple providers, therapeutic communication (i.e., providing emotional reassurance), and current and lingering effects of cancer. All caregivers shared "good communication" experiences, while others shared various barriers to communication, including a lack of understanding of the cancer diagnosis and caregiver experience, psychological challenges impacting communication, cultural and language differences, physical factors that limit communication, and young age of child impacting communication with caregivers.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a strong interpersonal communication skill set for clinicians can contribute to managing cancer care and improving caregivers' psychological adjustment.

Development and user evaluation of an online caregiver education resource for Malaysian parents of children with leukemia or lymphoma

Objective

Malaysian parents of children diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma stand to benefit from a comprehensive Malay-language online resource, complementing existing caregiver education practices. This study aimed to develop and assess the efficacy of e-Hematological Oncology Parents Education (e-HOPE), an online caregiver education resource in Malay, designed to enhance the knowledge of parents with children diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma in Malaysia.

Methods

A user profile and topic list were established based on previous needs analysis studies. Content was developed for each identified topic. An expert panel assessed the content validity of both informational content and activity sections. Subsequently, the contents were presented via a learning management system to parents of children newly diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma. Parents evaluated the quality of e-HOPE using the Website Evaluation Questionnaire (WEQ) after an 8-week period.

Results

The scale content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) achieved 0.996 for informational content and 0.991 for the activity section. Sixteen parents provided evaluations of e-HOPE after an 8-week usage period. Mean WEQ scores for various dimensions ranged from 4.23 for completeness to 4.88 for relevance.

Conclusions

E-HOPE was meticulously designed and developed to offer Malaysian parents a Malay-language resource complementing current caregiver education practices. It exhibited strong content validity and received positive user ratings for quality. Further assessment is warranted to evaluate its effectiveness in supporting parents of children with leukemia or lymphoma. The resource is anticipated to enhance information accessibility and support for Malaysian parents facing hematological cancers in their children.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.govNCT05455268.