A Booklet for Families of Children Dying with Incurable Cancer: Development and Feasibility Study by Opinions of Pediatric Oncology Specialists

The purpose of this study was to clarify feasibility of a booklet for families of children dying with incurable cancer. Of 267 pediatric oncology specialists, 76 (28%) participated in this cross-sectional survey. Ninety-three percent of participants answered that they were “likely to use” the booklet, and 86% percent answered that they believed the booklet was “helpful” for families. Some participants described various advantages of its use as follows: “able to communicate something that is difficult to put into words,” “easy to understand for families,” “families can read whenever they choose to,” and “able to grasp the direction of dying.” In contrast, other participants described points of attention of use as follows: “optimal timing to bring out,” “acceptance of families,” “direction as interdisciplinary team,” “confidential relationship between families and interdisciplinary team,” “disinclination among health care providers,” and “information volume of the booklet.” Thus, our results validated feasibility of the booklet. In conclusion, pediatric oncology specialists should provide their support of utilizing the booklet for families and assessing each family condition and advantage/attention of using the booklet.

Roles of clinical psychologists desired by palliative care team members: Focus group interviews

The objective of this study was to identify the roles of clinical psychologists in palliative care teams by conducting focus group interviews. The participants were 7 physicians and nurses of highly active palliative care teams. Results from the qualitative analysis of interview content revealed that the most important knowledges needed by psychologists in palliative care is fundamental and specialized psychological knowledges and skills. The second most important was general and psychiatric medical knowledges regarding cancer. Otherwise, psychologists were expected to understand the roles of other staff members and the medical system, and provide mental and emotional support to medical staff. Our results clarified that psychologists require a broad understanding of medical care for cancer, good communication skills for interacting with other staff members, and the ability to actively utilize their psychiatric specialty to provide psychological support to patients, families and medical workers. Palliat Care Res 2009; 4(2): 228-234