Symptom Screening for Hospitalized Pediatric Patients With Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Clinical Trials
• Pediatric Healthcare

Background:

• Pediatric cancer patients often experience severe symptoms during treatment.
• Effective symptom management is crucial for improving quality of life in these patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if daily symptom screening and reporting via the Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) reduces symptom burden in pediatric cancer patients.
• To compare the effectiveness of daily symptom screening against usual care in a hospital or clinic setting.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical trial involving pediatric cancer patients (aged 8-18) requiring daily hospital or clinic visits for at least 5 days.
• Participants were assigned to either daily SSPedi screening with reports to the healthcare team or usual care.
• Data analysis included comparing day 5 total SSPedi scores using multiple linear regression and analyzing secondary outcomes with proportional odds models.

Main Results:

• Daily symptom screening significantly improved total symptom burden scores on day 5 compared to usual care (adjusted mean difference: -2.5).
• Symptom screening reduced the likelihood of higher individual symptom scores, with 8 of 15 symptoms showing statistically significant reductions.
• While pain and quality of life scores did not differ significantly, symptom documentation and intervention rates increased with the screening protocol.

Conclusions:

• Daily symptom screening using the SSPedi tool is effective in reducing overall symptom burden for pediatric cancer patients.
• This intervention improves symptom management and documentation, contributing to better patient care during treatment.
• The findings support the integration of systematic symptom screening into routine care for pediatric oncology patients.