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[Psychosocial management in pediatric oncology--presentation of a cooperative team model]
Insights
A new cooperative psychosocial care program for pediatric cancer patients and families significantly improved support. This integrated model enhances family availability and assistance, outperforming traditional liaison services.
Area of Science:
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Pediatric Oncology
- Healthcare Management
Context:
- Pediatric cancer presents unique psychosocial challenges for patients and families.
- Existing care models may not fully address the complex needs arising from illness and treatment.
- There is a need for innovative, integrated approaches to psychosocial support in pediatric oncology.
Purpose:
- To introduce and evaluate a novel psychosocial patient-care program for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
- To explore the effectiveness of a cooperative team model integrating somatic and psychosomatic medicine.
- To identify key principles and challenges for successful interdisciplinary psychosocial care.
Summary:
- The article details a "cooperative team model" for psychosocial care in pediatric oncology, integrating somatic and psychosomatic medicine.
- This model demonstrated a three-fold increase in patient/family contact compared to a liaison approach, improving support availability.
- It outlines essential rules for interdisciplinary cooperation, defines team roles (psychologists, social workers, nurses), and suggests documentation strategies.
Impact:
- The integrated psychosocial care system enhances family support by leveraging the diverse skills of the oncology team.
- Successful implementation requires adherence to basic principles for effective psychosocial work in pediatric oncology settings.
- This program offers a framework for improved patient and family coping during cancer treatment.
Abstract:
This article presents a psychosocial patient-care program for pediatric cancer patients and their families. The program, initiated within the framework of a "cooperative team model", represents a new organisational form of cooperation between somatic and psychosomatic medicine that has been virtually untested in the filed of internal medicine. The advantages of this form lie in the improved availability of the families involved and the inherent possibilities of appropriate and effective assistance in overcoming the burdens of the illness and the treatment. Comparison with a liaison model showed a 3-times higher mean contact quota per patient/family. Problems which can be expected through implementation as well as related conflicts are discussed. Basic rules are formulated which must be followed if successful interdisciplinary cooperation is to be achieved. Areas of responsibility and activity are described for members of the psychosocial team (psychologists, social workers, visiting nurses) and a basis for documentation is illustrated using the evaluating results. The working concept behind an integrated psychosocial care system includes, as its basis, accompanying support to the involved families within the framework of general psychosocial care in which all of the members of the entire oncological team take part. As required, the special capabilities of the various psychosocial professions can then be brought to bear according to their functions and competence (psychosocial counselling and therapy, social-service counselling, medical and nursing care). Due to the conditions, inherent in the situation resulting from the illness and treatment, basic conceptional positions and attitudes become apparent that are of importance of psychosocial work is to be successful in a pediatric oncology ward.