Practices and issues of pediatric nursing support toward children with cancer returning to school

<p> This study aimed to understand the level of nursing support available to pediatric patients with cancer, and their families, when returning to school following discharge from a pediatric ward. An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted. Participants included nurses who worked in pediatric wards and had experience caring for pediatric patients with cancer aged <15 years. Qualitative data were categorized into similar groups based on the inferred meaning obtained from the survey response of participants discussing problems in the support available to pediatric patients returning to school. A total of 136 participants were included in this study. Participant responses revealed that 32.4% of the nurses explained late complications to the children every time they were treated, which was the lowest among all items in the practice status. In addition, the following challenges were found regarding supporting pediatric patients with cancer returning to school: difficulty in enabling affected children and their families to view return to school positively; a paucity of information, system, and support from schools to ensure a smooth transition for these patients returning to school; and difficulty for medical professionals in providing continued support during the return-to-school period following patient hospitalization and their subsequent discharge. Although nurses provided the necessary supports for returning to school to the patient and family, they encountered some challenges. It is necessary to create a tool that can be used by all medical professionals involved in supporting pediatric patients with cancer returning to school to achieve seamless support.</p>