A Comprehensive Survey of Institutional Patient/Family Educational Practices for Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Oncology Patients.
Patient/family education is an important component of nursing practice and is essential to the care of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Practices regarding patient/family education in Children's Oncology Group (COG) treatment centers have not been well described. We used an Internet-based survey to determine current patient/family educational practices at COG institutions; participation rate was 90.5% (201/222). Patient/family education was delivered primarily by an individual (rather than a team) at 43% of institutions. Advanced practice nurses had primary responsibility for providing education at 32% of institutions. "Fever" was the most frequently reported topic considered mandatory for inclusion in education for newly diagnosed patients. More than half of institutions reported using checklists and/or end-of-shift reports to facilitate health care team communication regarding patient/family education, and 77% reported using the "teach-back" method of assessing readiness for discharge. Thirty-seven percent of institutions reported delays in hospital discharge secondary to the need for additional teaching. An understanding of current practices related to patient/family education is the first step in establishing effective interventions to improve and standardize educational practices in pediatric oncology.
1 Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Janice S
JS
Withycombe
2 Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, VA, USA.|3 College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Rachel
R
Andam-Mejia
4 The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
Annie
A
Dwyer
5 Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
Abigail
A
Slaven
6 Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
Katherine
K
Windt
7 University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Wendy
W
Landier
D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
childhood cancer; new diagnosis; patient/family education; teaching