TY - JOUR
T1 - Hospital-based home care for children with cancer
T2 - a qualitative exploration of family members' experiences in Denmark
AU - Hansson, Eva Helena
AU - Kjaergaard, H
AU - Schmiegelow, K
AU - Hallström, I
N1 - © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - The study aims to describe the experiences of a hospital-based home care programme in the families of children with cancer. Fourteen parents, representing 10 families, were interviewed about their experiences of a hospital-based home care programme during a 4-month period in 2009 at a university hospital in Denmark. Five children participated in all or part of the interview. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that hospital-based home care enabled the families to remain intact throughout the course of treatment, as it decreased the strain on the family and the ill child, maintained normality and an ordinary everyday life and fulfilled the need for safety and security. According to family members of children with cancer, hospital-based home care support enhanced their quality of life during the child's cancer trajectory. Our study highlights the importance of providing hospital-based home care with consideration for the family members' need for the sense of security achieved by home care by experienced paediatric oncology nurses and regular contact with the doctor. In future studies, interviews with children and siblings could be an important source of information for planning and delivering care suited to the families' perceived needs.
AB - The study aims to describe the experiences of a hospital-based home care programme in the families of children with cancer. Fourteen parents, representing 10 families, were interviewed about their experiences of a hospital-based home care programme during a 4-month period in 2009 at a university hospital in Denmark. Five children participated in all or part of the interview. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that hospital-based home care enabled the families to remain intact throughout the course of treatment, as it decreased the strain on the family and the ill child, maintained normality and an ordinary everyday life and fulfilled the need for safety and security. According to family members of children with cancer, hospital-based home care support enhanced their quality of life during the child's cancer trajectory. Our study highlights the importance of providing hospital-based home care with consideration for the family members' need for the sense of security achieved by home care by experienced paediatric oncology nurses and regular contact with the doctor. In future studies, interviews with children and siblings could be an important source of information for planning and delivering care suited to the families' perceived needs.
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2354.2011.01280.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2354.2011.01280.x
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 21848580
SN - 0961-5423
VL - 21
SP - 59
EP - 66
JO - European Journal of Cancer Care
JF - European Journal of Cancer Care
IS - 1
ER -
