Oncology Nurse Managers’ Perceptions of Palliative Care and End-of-Life Communication

Abstract

Annually, more than 13,000 children younger than 20 years (Compas, Jaser, Dunn, & Rodriguez, 2012) are diagnosed with cancer, and approximately 40,000 children are receiving cancer treatments (Compas et al., 2014). Despite advances in cancer therapy and improvements in overall survival rates during the past decades, children still die from cancer. Approximately 20% of all children diagnosed with cancer will not survive 5 years or more (American Cancer Society, 2016; Field & Behrman, 2003; Knobf, 2013). Therefore, enhancing the quality of palliative care (PC) and end-of-life (EOL) communication for children with cancer is a national health care priority (National Institutes of Nursing Research, 2014). EOL care is provided in the last days, weeks, or months of a child's life. PC has been defined as "the active holistic care of the child's mind, body, and spirit, [which] also involves giving support to the family" (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016). This complex care, which encompasses the medical, psychosocial, spiritual, and economic needs of patients, is provided by an interdisciplinary team to reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life (Feudtner et al., 2013; WHO, 2016). Pediatric oncology nurses are expected to clearly and 835448J POXXX10.

A qualitative study of Ghanaian pediatric oncology nurses’ care practice challenges

“…This ultimately results in anxiety and job dissatisfaction. Concurrent with this finding, previous studies reported, a stressful work environment, increased rate of a medication error and decreased quality of care provided to patients [35,36]. Some studies have highlighted that in Egypt, nurses and pharmacists were exposed to hazardous drugs for cancer treatment, and also in Iran, nurses showed changes in their mitochondrial parameters and there was cytotoxicity of their lymphocytes due to exposure to chemotherapy inhalation [5,13].…”

A Qualitative Study of Ghanaian Pediatric Oncology Nurses’ Care Practice Challenges.

“…This ultimately results in anxiety and job dissatisfaction. Concurrent with this nding, previous studies reported, a stressful work environment, increased rate of a medication error and decreased quality of care provided to patients (35,36). Some studies have highlighted that in Egypt, nurses and pharmacists were exposed to hazardous drugs for cancer treatment, and also in Iran, nurses showed changes in their mitochondrial parameters and there was cytotoxicity of their lymphocytes due to exposure to chemotherapy inhalation (5,13).…”

“…This ultimately results in anxiety and job dissatisfaction. A stressful work environment, increased rate of a medication error, and decreased quality of care provided to patients (35,36). The pediatric oncology nurses in this current study, experienced perceived tendency that they could contract cancer as a result of caring for children with cancer.…”

Creating the Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Advancing Resiliency Team: A Nurse-Led Support Program for Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Staff

“…In pediatric oncology, a specialty where care is approached with a family-centered focus, different stressors and challenges arise for staff who take care of the patient as well as the family. For example situations regarding communicating prognostic-related communication (Newman et al, 2018), palliative or end-of-life concerns (Sawin et al, 2019), reviewing the transition between hospital and home (Branowicki et al, 2016), and encountering difficult families (Gallagher & Gormley, 2009) are some of the unique areas a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse encounters. Having a HART presence to help with these challenges was a benefit for staff.…”