Palliative support by telephone-consultation in pediatric cancer patients at MNJ Hyderabad India

Beskrivning

Masterstudent hösten 2018: SIRI lARSSON

"ABSTRACT

Background/Aim:
The survival rate for pediatric cancer in low- and middle-income countries is low. Therefore, there is a need for palliative care in these countries in order to maintain quality of life at end of life. The access to palliative care is scarce in these settings. At MNJ hospital in Hyderabad, India, they have a program with telephone follow-up and counselling (PTCP) for palliative pediatric cancer patients who are receiving home care. The aim of this study is partly a retrospective evaluation of the preexisting telephone follow-up
and counselling program and also a feasibility study to try to improve the program by improving routines and introducing Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale revised (ESAS-r) as a tool for symptom assessment.

Methods:
The preexisting telephone follow-up and counselling program, using Symptom Screening in Pediatrics tool (SSPedi), was evaluated by looking at old protocols. In the new study the ESAS-r was translated to Telugu. Nurses received education. Patients were recruited both from curative and palliative care. Each participant received education about ESAS-r. Afterward consultations with symptom assessment was made through telephone calls. Every consultation was recorded in order to transcribe an evaluation about the new program.

Results:
The retrospective evaluation of the preexisting program, using SSPedi, included 60 patients. The evaluation showed many problems with compliance and the scale used had not seemed to work. The feasibility study using ESAS-r included 14 patients, some of them palliative. With ESAS-r more symptoms have been reported. Participants was in majority positive about the procedure.

Conclusion:
The results could indicate that ESAS-r could be a good tool to use in this setting, although it is not validated on children. Future studies are needed to confirm this and to improve the PTCP at MNJ."

Period	2018
Examinerad/handledd person	Siri Larsson
Examination/handledning vid	Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Lund Lunds universitet
Omfattning	Internationell