Building a psychosocial and spiritual care service for children with cancer and their families

oleh: Marc Hendricks, Clint M. Steenveld, Vanessa Thompson, Anabela Andrade, Gisela Kahl, Peter Farlam, Joyce Balagadde-Kambugu, Shehaam Hendricks, Angela Rackstraw, Lynn Pedersen, Dianne R. Burger, Michelle A. Meiring, Alan Davidson, Ann van Eyssen

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: AOSIS 2019-01-01

Deskripsi

Background: Comprehensive, coordinated psychosocial, supportive and spiritual care is an essential component of the holistic care of childhood cancer sufferers and their families. Aim: The authors detail the development and value of a multidisciplinary psychosocial care team as an essential adjunct to care of childhood cancer sufferers. Methods: A historic preamble details a period during which psychosocial and supportive care was the sole province of the paediatric oncologists and social workers and describes that the process of creating a multidisciplinary psychosocial and spiritual care team has enhanced medical care. Results: Each member of the psychosocial group describes their care philosophy and their role in the clinical setting. We also describe the critical role of the meeting as a teaching vehicle for oncology fellows. Conclusion: This reproducible partnership between public and private sector practitioners, designed in a resource-constrained setting, affords a diverse and highly skilled group of professionals the opportunity to meet the medical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients and families as they transition through the care journey.