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Impact of Age-appropriate Preparations for Children With Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy on Parents and Family
Jenny Gårdling1, Erna Törnqvist1, Marie Edwinson Månsson1
1Faculty of Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Providing age-appropriate preparation for children with cancer undergoing radiotherapy improves parental communication and social functioning. Avoiding general anesthesia reduces parental anxiety and hospital costs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Healthcare Management
- Psychosocial Support
Background:
- Radiotherapy for pediatric cancer presents unique challenges for children and families.
- Parental anxiety and family functioning are critical factors in a child's treatment journey.
- Optimizing care pathways can improve patient outcomes and resource utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of age-appropriate information and preparation for pediatric cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.
- To evaluate effects on parental and family functioning, parental anxiety, and hospital costs.
- To compare outcomes against traditional care protocols.
Main Methods:
- A quasi-experimental controlled clinical trial involving 63 parents and 17 children.
- Intervention group received age-appropriate preparation; control group received traditional care.
- Validated instruments measured family functioning and parental anxiety; hospital costs were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Intervention group showed improved parental communication (p=0.01) and social functioning (p=0.02).
- Higher parental anxiety was linked to children receiving general anesthesia (p=0.04).
- Hospital costs did not reach statistical significance; intervention development cost $4,624.
Conclusions:
- Age-appropriate preparation enhances parental communication and social functioning during pediatric radiotherapy.
- Minimizing general anesthesia in children reduces parental anxiety and lowers healthcare costs.
- Structured, low-cost preparation strategies are vital for improving pediatric cancer care and resource allocation.
Purpose:
The aim was to evaluate the impact of age-appropriate information and preparation procedures for children with cancer undergoing radiotherapy on 1) parents and family functioning, parents' anxiety and 2) hospital costs compared to traditional care.
Design And Methods:
An un-matched quasi-experimental controlled clinical trial was conducted consisting of a control group including 31 parents of 16 children receiving traditional care and an intervention group including 32 parents of 17 children receiving age-appropriate preparation including seven parts. Validated instruments measured parents and family functioning and parents' anxiety. Hospital costs were calculated.
Results:
Parents in the intervention group showed better communication throughout their child's radiotherapy (p = 0.01) and at their child's last fraction, parental social functioning improved (p = 0.02). Parents of children receiving general anesthesia, regardless of group, showed higher levels of anxiety (p = 0.04). In general, results regarding hospital costs lacked statistical significance. Development of the intervention was calculated to be USD 4.624.
Conclusion:
Parents who receive age-appropriate information and preparation together with their child benefits in terms of improved communication and social functioning. When children avoid general anesthesia the parents experienced less anxiety and costs for the hospital was lowered.
Practice Implication:
Age-appropriate preparations consisting of basic, non-costly utilities and a structured approach are important. If more children are able to undergo radiotherapy without general anesthesia, it means for the individual child fewer risks and restrictions, and for the parents decreased anxiety. For the healthcare, it means lower costs, which enables the hospital to prioritize other areas of pediatric care.