THE DIARY: A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION FOR PARENTS OF
CHILDREN WITH CANCER IN THE NETHERLANDS
Van den Hoed-Heerschop
C.G.1,
Naafs-Wilstra M.C.2
1Sophia Children¡¯s Hospital University
Rotterdam, Rotterdam, and Paediatric Oncology Nurses Forum of The Netherlands
2 Association Parents, Children and
Cancer, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
Introduction
Modern childhood cancer treatment requires a
constant balanced co-operation between professionals and parents. The main
basis for co-operation is efficient communication. Because keeping
day-to-day contact is hardly possible, a form of written communication is
offered to professionals and parents: the DIARY.
Objectives
The DIARY has a triple objective:
1.
To
optimise the interaction between professionals and parents
2.
To
improve the coping strategies of parents
3.
To
optimise interdisciplinary communication, within the hospital, between
hospitals and between second-line medical care and primary health care.
Contents
To achieve these objectives the DIARY contains:
treatment protocol, parent-to-parent support and information, room for a
log and instructions for: drug administration, the (side) effects of drugs
and radiation, central venous system, daily care.
Results
The DIARY is the result of a unique
co-operation between professionals of all Paediatric Cancer Units and the
Parent Association in the Netherlands. It is used different in those units
A result of the way it is used will be presented at the congress.