Complementary Therapy to Relieve Pediatric Cancer Therapy-Related Symptoms in the USA

Children undergoing treatment for cancer often receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy and may experience many symptoms linked to these treatments. This study examined complementary therapies and self-care or dependent-care methods used by pediatric patients and parents to alleviate symptoms during cancer treatments. The specific purposes of this study were to assess symptoms and the complementary therapies and self-care or dependent-care methods used by pediatric patients and parents during cancer treatments. Orem’s self-care/dependent-care concept was used to guide the analysis of the care pediatric patients received. Secondary analysis was done on data collected from a cross-sectional, multi-site study in the Midwestern and Southwestern USA. The sample included 92 parents/children ages 1-17 years old; 52% were females; 16 were less than 5 years old; 53 were 5-11 years old, and 23 were 12-17 years old. Of the cancer diagnoses reported, 56% had leukemia and 44% had other cancer types. The 30-item Therapy-Related Symptom Checklist for Children (TRSC-C) was used to record patients’ symptom occurrence and severity on a 5-pt scale (0, no symptom; 4, “A whole lot”). The Symptom Alleviation: Self-Care Methods (SA:SCM) tool was used to identify methods parents used to alleviate therapy-related symptoms. To address the study purposes, descriptive data and content analyses were conducted. Symptom occurrences of 19 symptoms were reported by 40% or more of the patients and had a mean severity of “2” or “Quite a bit.” The top five symptoms included nausea, feeling sluggish, hair loss, loss of appetite and vomiting. Of the six categories of self-care or dependent-care methods and complementary therapies, four were found useful; herbal treatments were not mentioned. The two categories most utilized were Prescribed Medications and Mind Body Control. Assessing patient-reported and parent-reported symptoms and the use of self-care and dependent-care methods and complementary therapies help parents cope and help their children.University of Kansas School of Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Nursing Honors Progra

The Journal of BSN Honors Research, Volume 5, Issue 1, Summer 2012

University of Kansas School of Nursing. Bachelor of Science in Nursing Honors ProgramExploration Of Health Care Needs Among Sudanese Refugee Women - Albin, J M, Domian, E. Is There An App For That? Developing An Evaluation Rubric For Apps For Use With Adults With Special Needs - Buckler, T, Peterson, M. The Relationship Between Nursing Characteristics And Pain Care Quality - Davis, E, Dunton, N. The Relationship Between Sleep And Night Eating On Weight Loss In Individuals With Severe Mental Illness - Huynh, Thu Nhi, Hamera, E. Examining Nurse Leader/Manager-Physician Communication Strategies: A Pilot Study - Jantzen, M, Ford, D J. Comparison Of Personal, Health And Family Characteristic Of Children With And Without Autism - Martin, A, Bott, M J. Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea And Postoperative Adverse Events - Nielsenshultz, Y, Smith, C, Bott, M, Schultz, M P, Cole, C. Challenges Associated With Partnering With Sudanese Refugee Women In Addressing Their Health Issues - Pauls, K L, Baird, M B. Complementary Therapy To Relieve Pediatric Cancer Therapy-Related Symptoms In The Usa - Slaven, A, Williams, P D