Medical College of Wisconsin
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Health Care Providers' Perceptions of Nutrition Support in Pediatric Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs 2016 Jul;33(4):265-72

Date

01/02/2016

Pubmed ID

26721695

DOI

10.1177/1043454215616604

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84977083330 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   12 Citations

Abstract

One of the most common side effects of medical treatment for patients with an oncologic diagnosis is malnutrition. There is limited research that broadly assesses the perceptions of health care providers (HCPs) regarding nutrition support in the pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of nutrition support among pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant HCPs. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive design using a 31-item survey. Results of the survey indicated that nurses were more likely to initiate conversations about nutrition support during the first month of diagnosis, while midlevel providers and physicians initiated discussions in response to a change in nutritional status evidenced by decreased oral intake or weight loss. Participants reported resistance by patients and families more often for enteral nutrition compared with parenteral nutrition. Findings suggest a need to develop a more unified service line-based approach for initiating discussions related to nutrition support that incorporate patient and family perceptions.

Author List

Montgomery K, Belongia M, Schulta C, Mulberry MH, Nugent ML, Simpson PM

Author

Pippa M. Simpson PhD Adjunct Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Child
Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Child Welfare
Cross-Sectional Studies
Enteral Nutrition
Female
Health Personnel
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Humans
Male
Neoplasms
Nutritional Status
Parenteral Nutrition
Surveys and Questionnaires