Ribeiro ILA, Caccia-Bava MDCGG, Sampaio MEA, Limeira RRT, de Carvalho LGA, Dos Santos FG, Bezerra PMM, Sousa SA, Valença AMG. The Implementation of an Integrated Oral Care Protocol for Pediatric Cancer Patients: a Qualitative Study.
JOURNAL OF CANCER EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER EDUCATION 2023;
38:940-947. [PMID:
36029416 DOI:
10.1007/s13187-022-02210-7]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
AIM
In this study, we evaluated the impact of an integrated oral care protocol for pediatric patients undergoing antineoplastic treatment from the perspective of the multidisciplinary team, oral healthcare team, and caregivers.
SUBJECT AND METHODS
This was a qualitative study carried out in the pediatric sector of a reference cancer hospital in Brazil. Focus group and individual semi-structured interview techniques were used, and the data were analyzed by the Discourse of the Collective Subject (DCS) method.
RESULTS
A total of 44 professionals involved in providing care to children and adolescents with cancer and 38 caregivers were interviewed. All interviewees perceived an improvement in the patients' oral health condition. Health professionals reported a reduction in the occurrence and severity of oral mucositis (OM). Communicating with the medical team and understanding the importance of oral care to the patient's systemic condition were the greatest difficulties reported by the oral healthcare team.
CONCLUSION
This implementation project contributed to establishing a complete multidisciplinary team to assist pediatric patients in all their needs during antineoplastic treatment. The integrated oral care protocol further contributed to reducing the occurrence and severity of OM by increasing its surveillance and diagnostic efficiency, which, altogether, improved the patients' quality of life.
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