Needs of patients and families undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT) as a rescue for myeloablative chemotherapy has become the standard of care for several malignancies. The majority of pre-transplant treatment is provided in outpatient oncology clinics and early discharge post-transplant is facilitated by the use of colony stimulating factors. The patient/family is then required to manage complex self-care in the home environment (Johns, 1998; Poloquin, 1997; Schulmeister et al., 2005). This needs assessment was undertaken to determine how to improve the quality of care delivery for patients/families undergoing APBSCT. This qualitative research utilized unstructured interviews, observation, and field notes for data collection. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Four key concepts to enhance the quality of care delivery emerged: knowledge, communication, support, and skill.