Prospective Symptom Assessment in Children with Advanced Cancer
Background
Despite advances in pediatric oncology treatments and technology, some children with cancer may die while receiving oncology treatments or from their disease. It has been reported that many children who die a cancer-related death may die while experiencing two to eight poorly controlled symptoms. Prevention of suffering, including effective symptom management, in children dying of cancer is a central value for clinicians in pediatric oncology.
Project Goals
In this study we want to prospectively describe symptoms in children with advanced cancer and determine the feasibility of conducting symptom assessments electronically in the home setting throughout the end of life trajectory. Furthermore, we want to determine if timely reporting of symptom assessments to healthcare team members influences clinical and operational outcomes, such as hospital acute and critical care length of stay, emergency department visits, and clinic visits. Outcomes of this study are needed to contribute to our understanding of the symptom experience in a prospective way and evaluate if electronic data collection in the home setting enables clinicians to intervene in a timely way on any patient-reported symptoms that are increasing in frequency, severity, and/or level of distress. Results of this study may be used to drive models of care that better connect patients with their healthcare team in an electronic, less burdensome way, and improve the symptom experience during end of life.
