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Parents' Lived Experiences During Their Children's Radiotherapy

Gårdling, Jenny LU ; Törnqvist, Erna LU ; Edwinson Månsson, Marie LU and Hallström, Inger LU (2017) In Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing 34(2). p.140-147
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aim of radiotherapy is to provide a cure and/or symptomatic relief for children with cancer. Treatment is delivered on a daily basis, 5 days per week, over the course of 5 to 35 days. Many parents find that leaving their children alone during treatment and exposing them to radiation is a challenging experience. To gain an understanding of parents' lived experiences, 10 parents were asked to keep a diary while their children underwent radiotherapy.

METHODS: A descriptive inductive design with a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach was chosen to analyze the diaries. The parents were asked to write down their lived experiences while their children underwent radiotherapy. Daily notes, both short and long, were... (More)

BACKGROUND: The aim of radiotherapy is to provide a cure and/or symptomatic relief for children with cancer. Treatment is delivered on a daily basis, 5 days per week, over the course of 5 to 35 days. Many parents find that leaving their children alone during treatment and exposing them to radiation is a challenging experience. To gain an understanding of parents' lived experiences, 10 parents were asked to keep a diary while their children underwent radiotherapy.

METHODS: A descriptive inductive design with a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach was chosen to analyze the diaries. The parents were asked to write down their lived experiences while their children underwent radiotherapy. Daily notes, both short and long, were desirable.

FINDINGS: The parents described radiotherapy as a balancing act involving a constant attempt to maintain a balance between coercing and protecting their children in order to improve their children's chances of survival. Meanwhile, the parents themselves were struggling with their own despair and feelings of powerlessness. While protecting their children, they experienced a sense of hope and felt that they had gained control.

CONCLUSION: Parents' daily written reflections are important for clinical practice and provide vital knowledge. Parents need support when focusing on coercing and protecting their children and help with information and routines that enable them gain control.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing
volume
34
issue
2
pages
140 - 147
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • pmid:27207991
  • scopus:85012982049
  • wos:000400063700008
ISSN
1043-4542
DOI
10.1177/1043454216646540
project
Children with cancer
LUC3 - Lund University Child Centered Care
Hospital-based Home Care for children with long-term illness
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
38c6e3ec-3c91-4921-b89e-10b36b4cc011
date added to LUP
2016-11-22 14:05:47
date last changed
2024-05-04 13:27:29
@article{38c6e3ec-3c91-4921-b89e-10b36b4cc011,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: The aim of radiotherapy is to provide a cure and/or symptomatic relief for children with cancer. Treatment is delivered on a daily basis, 5 days per week, over the course of 5 to 35 days. Many parents find that leaving their children alone during treatment and exposing them to radiation is a challenging experience. To gain an understanding of parents' lived experiences, 10 parents were asked to keep a diary while their children underwent radiotherapy.</p><p>METHODS: A descriptive inductive design with a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach was chosen to analyze the diaries. The parents were asked to write down their lived experiences while their children underwent radiotherapy. Daily notes, both short and long, were desirable.</p><p>FINDINGS: The parents described radiotherapy as a balancing act involving a constant attempt to maintain a balance between coercing and protecting their children in order to improve their children's chances of survival. Meanwhile, the parents themselves were struggling with their own despair and feelings of powerlessness. While protecting their children, they experienced a sense of hope and felt that they had gained control.</p><p>CONCLUSION: Parents' daily written reflections are important for clinical practice and provide vital knowledge. Parents need support when focusing on coercing and protecting their children and help with information and routines that enable them gain control.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gårdling, Jenny and Törnqvist, Erna and Edwinson Månsson, Marie and Hallström, Inger}},
  issn         = {{1043-4542}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{140--147}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing}},
  title        = {{Parents' Lived Experiences During Their Children's Radiotherapy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1043454216646540}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1043454216646540}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}