A Qualitative Case Study of the Experiences of Children With Cancer as They Learn About Their Diagnosis and Treatment

Summary

Thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer each year, many of whom will achieve long term survival due to advances in treatments and technologies. However, when a child is first diagnosed, they are confronted with a wealth of new and unfamiliar medical information that they must integrate in order to understand their diagnosis and treatment plan. Little is yet known about how children with cancer experience learning about their diagnosis and treatment in the hospital setting, or the individuals and materials that may help to facilitate the child's developing understanding. This information could help to identify or guide educational and supportive child life interventions to help children with cancer better understand their illness and its treatment.

This observational study will collect data about how children currently learn about their cancer diagnosis and treatment in the hospital setting. The interventions used do not seek to change the health outcomes of the participants in this study. The observational data collected may serve to improve how future patients learn about their cancer-related diagnosis.

Conditions

• Sarcoma

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Interview

Each participant will complete two interview sessions with the primary investigator. Each interview will be conducted in a private, quiet room. Parents may choose to remain with the child during the interview if they would like, but only the responses of the child will be analyzed. Each interview session will last no more than one hour; if the child is not able to respond to each of the primary interview questions during this time, a second follow-up session will be scheduled so that the remainder of the questions can be answered. All interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed.

BEHAVIORAL

Observations

Observations help to give insights about interpersonal interactions, actions, non-verbal cues, and the activities and function of areas within the hospital. Three kinds of observation will be used: participant observation, non-participant observation, and guided activities. These observations will be conducted to learn more about the hospital environment as it intersects with the learning experiences of the participants.

BEHAVIORAL

Guided Activities

This study will use three different types of arts and play-based activities to give participants a variety of ways to express their thoughts and perceptions of what it is like to learn about their cancer diagnosis and treatment. The first activity will be a guided medical play opportunity that prompts the child to use actual medical equipment while taking care of a doll. For the second activity, the child will be given a digital camera to use and a prompt that asks them to photograph things and individuals in the hospital that have helped them to learn about their diagnosis and treatment. The third activity will be an open-ended art prompt in which the child will create an artistic representation of what it means to have cancer and get treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jessika Boles, MEd · St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Eligibility

Min Age

7 Years

Max Age

11 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-01-31

Primary Completion

2015-10-31

Completion

2015-10-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations