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What do children with cancer know about their medications?

Tamara Macdonald1, Derek Macdonald, Bruce Crooks

  • 1IWK/ Dalhousie University. Halifax , Nova Scotia ( Canada ).

Pharmacy Practice
|November 8, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) demonstrate low health literacy regarding their medications. Most pediatric patients desire increased involvement in medication education to improve understanding.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Health Literacy Research
  • Qualitative Health Research

Background:

  • Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) require complex medication regimens.
  • Understanding medication is crucial for adherence and managing treatment side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the health literacy of pediatric patients with ALL concerning their prescribed medications.
  • To explore children's knowledge of medication properties, habits, and educational experiences.

Main Methods:

  • Qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews with 16 children (ages 6-18) diagnosed with ALL.
  • Interviews focused on medication knowledge, habits, and educational engagement.

Main Results:

  • Younger children (mean age 7.5) had limited knowledge, answering an average of 51% on color, 26% on name, 25% on frequency, and 8% on purpose.
  • Older children (mean age 16) showed significantly higher scores across all medication characteristics.
  • Medication education was primarily directed to parents, with children rarely included.

Conclusions:

  • Children with ALL exhibit suboptimal knowledge of their medications.
  • The majority of pediatric patients expressed a desire for more comprehensive medication education and involvement.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdolescentCanadaChildHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHealth LiteracyNeoplasms

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