Understanding Effective Delivery of Patient and Family Education in Pediatric OncologyA Systematic Review From the Children's Oncology Group [Formula: see text].

A diagnosis of childhood cancer is a life-changing event for the entire family. Parents must not only deal with the cancer diagnosis but also acquire new knowledge and skills to care safely for their child at home. Best practices for delivery of patient/family education after a new diagnosis of childhood cancer are currently unknown. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing body of evidence to determine the current state of knowledge regarding the delivery of education to newly diagnosed pediatric oncology patients and families. Eighty-three articles regarding educational methods, content, influencing factors, and interventions for newly diagnosed pediatric patients with cancer or other chronic illnesses were systematically identified, summarized, and appraised according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria. Based on the evidence, 10 recommendations for practice were identified. These recommendations address delivery methods, content, influencing factors, and educational interventions for parents and siblings. Transferring these recommendations into practice may enhance the quality of education delivered by health care providers and received by patients and families following a new diagnosis of childhood cancer.

Writing Across the Curriculum: Strategies to Improve the Writing Skills of Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Writing across the curriculum (WAC) is a strategy in which writing instruction occurs in classes outside of composition, literature, and other English courses. This literature review was conducted to identify and synthesize the peer-reviewed literature about WAC in nursing education. METHODS: The team performed searches of MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL Plus With Full Text, and ERIC for articles published between January 2003 and April 2014. A combination of Medical Subject Heading terms (or equivalent) and keywords were used to create the database search strategies. RESULTS: There were 48 articles that discussed WAC. Most of the papers described writing courses in nursing programs, strategies to teach writing to nursing students, and writing activities or assignments within nursing courses. High-level evidence examining the impact of writing strategies and exercises in courses and occurring across the curriculum was lacking. Only 18 (37.5%) of these papers were evaluative; most of the databased articles were either author observations or perceptions of changes in students' writing ability, or low-level research studies. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies, assignments, and courses intended to promote writing skills of nursing students were documented in this literature review; however, further evaluation is needed to determine which are most effective. Hawks Turner Derouin Hueckel Leonardelli Oermann.

Use of Workshops to Develop Nurses' and Nursing Students' Writing Skills.

Workshops have been described in the literature as a strategy for preparing nurses to publish their work and develop their writing skills. Articles about the use of workshops for these purposes have not been integrated systematically. Seventeen articles were included in the current review. The workshop method has been found to be effective for preparing nurses to write for publication and for improving nurses' and nursing students' writing skills. However, workshops must be combined with one-to-one mentoring and feedback on writing to be successful.

Systematic review of educational programs and strategies for developing students' and nurses' writing skills.

The purpose of this article is to describe the outcomes of a systematic review of educational programs and strategies for developing the writing skills of nursing students and nurses. Of 728 screened citations, 80 articles were included in the review. Writing assignments in nursing courses were the most common, followed by strategies for writing across the curriculum and specific courses to improve the writing skills of nursing students. To improve nurses' writing skills, workshops were used most frequently. Only 28 (35%) of the articles were data based, and most articles described the writing program, strategy, or assignment but did not evaluate its effectiveness.

Neutropenia Precautions for Children Receiving Chemotherapy or Stem Cell Transplantation for Cancer.

Infections in children and adolescents with cancer are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in those receiving chemotherapy who are neutropenic and/or immunocompromised. The aim of this article is to review existing evidence in order to provide a practice recommendation to prevent or minimize infections in neutropenic and/or immunocompromised patients receiving chemotherapy and/or stem cell transplant. Systematic reviews were undertaken and research was graded according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. A variety of interventions are implemented to reduce infections in the neutropenic and/or immunocompromised population; however, few are supported by research evidence. Existing literature should continue to be reviewed to further identify interventions that can influence positive patient outcomes and provide opportunities for individuals in the medical field to work together to improve clinical care.