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False-positive results in neuroblastoma screening: the parents' view
Gabriele Dobrovoljski1, Reinhold Kerbl, Carola Strobl
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 30, A-8036 Graz, Austria.
Insights
False-positive results in neuroblastoma screening can cause significant psychological distress for parents, especially following hospital admission. Careful selection of screening methods and cutoff limits is crucial to minimize this burden.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Screening Program Evaluation
- Psychological Impact Assessment
Background:
- False-positive results are a significant challenge in screening programs.
- Limited data exists on the psychological impact of false-positive neuroblastoma screening on parents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the parental psychological experience following false-positive results in neuroblastoma screening.
- To understand the specific impact of further clinical evaluation on parents' well-being.
Main Methods:
- A semistructured interview was conducted with parents of infants who received repeated false-positive neuroblastoma screening results.
- 16 out of 19 parent pairs were interviewed separately after screening between 1991 and 1999.
Main Results:
- The initial screening phase had a minimal psychological burden.
- Hospital admission significantly increased psychological distress, described as severe by 19 out of 32 parents.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare professionals must recognize the psychological toll of hospital admissions for pediatric tumor screening.
- Careful selection of laboratory methods and cutoff values is recommended for future neuroblastoma screening studies.
Purpose:
One of the major problems of any screening program is the occurrence of false-positive results. For neuroblastoma screening, little information is available on the psychological consequences for parents whose children had false-positive results that made further clinical evaluation necessary. It was the aim of this study to evaluate the parents' view by a semistructured interview.
Patients And Methods:
Among 267,302 infants screened in the Austrian study between 1991 and 1999, 19 had to be considered as repeatedly false-positive (no clinical evidence of neuroblastoma). Sixteen of 19 parent pairs could be reached by phone and were interviewed separately by use of a semistructured questionnaire to evaluate for psychological consequences resulting from the screening result.
Results:
The psychological burden appeared to be small during the initial screening procedure, but it increased significantly through hospital admission and was then described as severe by 19 of the 32 parents.
Conclusions:
Investigators should be aware of the psychological consequences of hospital admission for tumor screening in children. In ongoing neuroblastoma screening studies, laboratory methods as well as cutoff limits should be selected carefully.