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Children
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Comprehensive Care for Children with Cancer: Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approaches
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Comprehensive Care for Children with Cancer: Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approaches

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Oncology and Hematology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2020) | Viewed by 13187

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Christina K. Ullrich

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Boston Children's Hospital. Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Interests: pediatric cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant; palliative care; patient-reported outcomes
Dr. Kimberley A Widger

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
Nursing Research Associate, Paediatric Advanced Care Team, Hospital for Sick Children
Interests: pediatric palliative care; quality of care; pediatric cancer; health services research

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

In recent decades, we have witnessed some remarkable advances in childhood cancer care. At the same time, cancer continues to present the more than 10,000 children (age 0–14 years) diagnosed with it every year with substantial challenges. Intensive treatment, and the effects of the cancer itself, can profoundly impair their physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Children with advanced cancer, for whom treatment may not be curative, are known to experience distress from a variety of sources. For others, a cure is possible, yet even in these circumstances, survivors of cancer live with a range of long-term and late effects. The impact of cancer extends to families of all these children as well.

Helping children with cancer and their families live and live well takes a cadre of health care professionals. Such individuals represent a range of professions (e.g., nurses, physicians, pharmacists, social workers, child life specialists, and physical therapists) and disciplines/specialties (e.g., oncology, surgery, psychiatry, palliative care, and physiatry). While much care in pediatric oncology is hospital-based, community-based clinicians and organizations play a critical role in addressing the multidimensional needs of children with cancer and their families across care settings.

Interprofessional and interdisciplinary cancer care for children presents a wealth of opportunities for collaboration and synergy in the delivery of comprehensive care. It also poses challenges to the delivery of well-coordinated and seamless care. This Special Issue, “Comprehensive Care for Children with Cancer: Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approaches”, will focus on existing strategies and best practices for attending to the multidimensional needs of children with cancer and their families, including topics focused on a specific profession or discipline, or topics pertaining to collaboration and the coordination of care across professions or disciplines. It will also emphasize advances in clinical care, education, and training, promoting such care, and opportunities for furthering comprehensive care for children through interprofessional and interdisciplinary care. Reviews, quality improvement, and original research will be considered for publication.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Kind regards,

Dr. Christina K. Ullrich
Dr. Kimberley A Widger
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • childhood cancer
  • pediatric oncology
  • cancer care
  • interprofessional
  • interdisciplinary

Published Papers (3 papers)

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14 pages, 1473 KiB  
Article
Defining a “Good Death” in Pediatric Oncology: A Mixed Methods Study of Healthcare Providers
by Mallory R. Taylor, Krysta S. Barton, Jenny M. Kingsley, Julia Heunis and Abby R. Rosenberg
Children 2020, 7(8), 86; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children7080086 - 31 Jul 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3387
Abstract
Delivering optimal end-of-life (EOL) care to children and adolescents is a healthcare priority, yet relatively little is known about what patients, families, and healthcare providers (HCPs) consider “best” practices. The objective of this study was to identify factors that pediatric oncology HCPs consider [...] Read more.
Delivering optimal end-of-life (EOL) care to children and adolescents is a healthcare priority, yet relatively little is known about what patients, families, and healthcare providers (HCPs) consider “best” practices. The objective of this study was to identify factors that pediatric oncology HCPs consider important for EOL care. This was a cross-sectional mixed methods study. Participants were multidisciplinary pediatric oncology staff who completed surveys and participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Interviews were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Provider statements were compared based on years of experience (≤10 or >10 years) and discipline (non-physician or physician). A total of n = 19 staff (74% female) enrolled, including physicians (n = 8), advanced practice providers (n = 4), nurses (n = 2), music/art therapists (n = 2), physical therapists (n = 1), educators (n = 1), and chaplains (n = 1). Most HCPs identified communication, symptom control, and acceptance as features of a “good” death. Compared to physicians, non-physicians focused on relationships (67% vs. 33%, p = 0.007); HCPs with ≤10 years of experience (n = 11) more frequently identified the benefits of a multidisciplinary team (74% vs. 26%, p = 0.004). This study identified many common HCP-defined components of “good” pediatric EOL care in addition to some differing perspectives depending on discipline and experience. Incorporating diverse HCP perspectives with those of the patient and family can guide contemporary high-quality pediatric EOL clinical care and education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comprehensive Care for Children with Cancer: Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approaches)
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14 pages, 1578 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Modal Family Peer Support-Based Program to Improve Quality of Life among Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study
by Justin G. Wilford, Ruth McCarty, Lilibeth Torno, Grace Mucci, Nadia Torres-Eaton, Violet Shen and William Loudon
Children 2020, 7(4), 35; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children7040035 - 20 Apr 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4513
Abstract
Background: Pediatric brain tumor (PBT) survivors and their families are at risk for diminished psychosocial and quality of life outcomes. Community-based programs that leverage peer support in the context of integrative modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represent a promising avenue for [...] Read more.
Background: Pediatric brain tumor (PBT) survivors and their families are at risk for diminished psychosocial and quality of life outcomes. Community-based programs that leverage peer support in the context of integrative modalities such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represent a promising avenue for meeting the multidimensional needs of survivors and their families. Methods: Parents and children were enrolled in a 12-week program that included weekly group TCM, a moderated private Facebook support group designed through social support and modeling theory, and weekly parent-only health behavior education and yoga. Process measures and quantitative and qualitative survey data was collected to gauge participant adherence, acceptability, and satisfaction, as well as exploratory outcomes. Results: Eleven parents completed surveys at all time points. Six of nine families attended at least 80% of the group TCM sessions, and eight of nine families interacted in the Facebook support group at least five days a week. Parents reported high levels of satisfaction and perceived benefits for the program. Baseline emotional distress, health behaviors, and QoL measurements improved during the three-month intervention. Qualitative data indicated parents perceived both in-person and the Facebook group peer support contributed to the benefits of the program. Conclusion: This feasibility study demonstrated that a multimodal peer support-based intervention that included in-person and online group interaction is feasible and acceptable to parents of pediatric brain tumor patients. Further research on interventions for caregivers that include in-person and online group-based peer support is warranted, with the goal of exploring similar outcomes in other childhood cancer diagnoses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comprehensive Care for Children with Cancer: Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approaches)
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13 pages, 1295 KiB  
Case Report
Serious Illness Conversations in Pediatrics: A Case Review
by Camara van Breemen, Jennifer Johnston, Matthew Carwana and Peter Louie
Children 2020, 7(8), 102; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/children7080102 - 18 Aug 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4805
Abstract
The Serious Illness Conversation Guide program developed by Ariadne Labs, a Joint Center for Health Systems Innovation, includes a list of patient-centered questions designed to assist clinicians to gain a more thorough understanding of their patient’s life in order to inform future care [...] Read more.
The Serious Illness Conversation Guide program developed by Ariadne Labs, a Joint Center for Health Systems Innovation, includes a list of patient-centered questions designed to assist clinicians to gain a more thorough understanding of their patient’s life in order to inform future care decisions. In July 2017, specialist pediatric palliative care clinicians at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice (CPCH) (Vancouver, BC, Canada), adapted the original guide to use with parents of children with serious illness. This tool is referred to as the Serious Illness Conversation Guide-Peds (SICG-Peds). Using the SICG-Peds, along with enhanced communication skills, can help illuminate the parents’ (child’s) understanding of illness and the values they hold. Expanding the application of the guide will promote goal-based, efficient, comprehensive and consistent communication between families and clinicians and help ensure that seriously ill children receive care that is tailored to their needs through the disease trajectory. This paper explores the guide through the lens of a case study. The steps—seeking permission, assessing understanding, sharing prognosis and exploring key topics (hopes, fears, strengths, critical abilities and trade-offs)—as well as formulating clinician recommendations, are described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Comprehensive Care for Children with Cancer: Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Approaches)
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