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A psychoeducational intervention reduces the need for anesthesia during radiotherapy for young childhood cancer
Sonja Haeberli1, Michael A Grotzer, Felix K Niggli
1University Children's Hospital of Zurich, Department of Oncology, Steinwiesstr, 75, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland. Sonja.Haeberli@gmx.net
Insights
A psychoeducational intervention significantly reduced the need for anesthesia in pediatric cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). This approach improved patient cooperation and lowered healthcare costs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Radiotherapy (RT) is crucial for pediatric cancer but challenging in young children, often requiring general anesthesia.
- Anesthesia in pediatric RT poses risks and increases complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if a psychoeducational intervention can decrease the requirement for anesthesia during pediatric radiotherapy.
- To evaluate the impact of tailored psychoeducational support on anesthesia needs in pediatric cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 223 pediatric cancer patients undergoing RT between 1989 and 2006.
- Comparison of two groups: Group A (no intervention) and Group B (psychoeducational intervention including play and nurse support).
Main Results:
- The need for anesthesia was significantly lower in Group B (8.9%) compared to Group A (21.4%).
- Psychoeducational intervention independently reduced anesthesia requirements in both uni- and multivariate analyses.
- The median age of cooperating patients without anesthesia decreased with the intervention.
Conclusions:
- A tailored psychoeducational intervention effectively reduces anesthesia use in children undergoing RT for cancer.
- This intervention leads to improved patient cooperation and reduced treatment costs.
Background:
Radiotherapy (RT) has become an important treatment modality in pediatric oncology, but its delivery to young children with cancer is challenging and general anesthesia is often needed.
Methods:
To evaluate whether a psychoeducational intervention might reduce the need for anesthesia, 223 consecutive pediatric cancer patients receiving 4141 RT fractions during 244 RT courses between February 1989 and January 2006 were studied. Whereas in 154 RT courses corresponding with 2580 RT fractions patients received no psychoeducational intervention (group A), 90 RT courses respectively 1561 RT fractions were accomplished by using psychoeducational intervention (group B). This tailored psychoeducational intervention in group B included a play program and interactive support by a trained nurse according to age to get familiar with staff, equipment and procedure of radiotherapy.
Results:
Group A did not differ significantly from group B in age at RT, gender, diagnosis, localization of RT and positioning during RT. Whereas 33 (21.4%) patients in group A got anesthesia, only 8 (8.9%) patients in group B needed anesthesia. The median age of cooperating patients without anesthesia decreased from 3.2 to 2.7 years. In both uni- and multivariate analyses the psychoeducational intervention significantly and independently reduced the need for anesthesia.
Conclusion:
We conclude that a specifically tailored psychoeducational intervention is able to reduce the need for anesthesia in children undergoing RT for cancer. This results in lower costs and increased cooperation during RT.
