Congress Abstracts 2005

55

STRATEGIES NON-PEDIATRIC NURSES CAN USE FOR PREPARING THE PEDIATRIC PATIENT FOR CANCER TREATMENTS. Carol Pinola, RN, BSN, and Amy Bullock, MSEd, CCLS, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

There are 12,400 new cases of childhood cancer diagnosed annually in the United States. Multimodality treatment including radiotherapy has made most childhood cancers curable. The need to prepare a child and their family for any medical procedure or treatment and provide support is well documented in the literature. This preparation presents a challenge for even the most seasoned pediatric oncology nurse. For the adult oncology nurse who must provide care for the pediatric patient this challenge is even greater. Inadequate preparation of a child for cancer treatment and procedures can create unnecessary anxiety for the child necessitating anesthesia to provide care. Inadequate preparation can also have a negative impact on the psychosocial development of this new generation of survivors.

This presentation will describe a program developed collaboratively by a radiation oncology nurse and a child life specialist at a large comprehensive cancer center to develop strategies that the adult nurse can utilize when caring for a pediatric patient.

The first step was to develop a multimodal age-appropriate preparation program for the child that includes play-size models of equipment, an interactive workbook, unit tours, and imagery/distraction techniques. The next step was to develop classes for staff to address their knowledge deficit and feelings of inadequacy. Topics included developmentally appropriate language dos and don’ts, hints on how to approach a child, and strategies to gain cooperation. Finally, systems of communication among the disciplines were established, including a weekly on-treatment patient list which is electronically available and use of E-mail to communicate changes in care plans.

Interventions are evaluated on a case by case basis due to the individualized goals set for each child. Overall, children’s experiences in our department have improved, with fewer children requiring anesthesia for treatment. Staff is demonstrating increased confidence and utilizing the developed strategies daily when treating the pediatric patient.

These strategies can be adopted on any non-pediatric oncology unit and serve as a model for oncology nurses who find themselves faced with the challenge of preparing, educating and supporting a child through any aspect of their cancer treatment.