Nursing Support System for Mothers of Hospitalized Leukemic Children: A Comparative Study

Background: In addition to child, families can be influenced traumatically by the leukemia and hospitalization. Adopting the philosophy of a family-centered care approach can maximize the well being of pediatric patients and their family. The philosophy is based on the collaboration of the family, nurses and hospital staff to plan, provide and evaluate care To establish the best plan of care for leukemic child and improve family stability as well, nurses should support the family. The current study was conducted to compare the opinions of mothers with nurses regarding the availability of nursing support for mothers of hospitalized leukemic children in a pediatric oncology ward. Materials and Methods: This comparative descriptive study was conducted on all mothers with leukemic children who were hospitalized in a pediatric oncology ward (n=89) of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran and all nurses (n=21) in this ward during 2015. Data were collected through the NPST( Nurse-parent Support Tool) and demographic questionnairs. The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS (version 22). Results: The most important dimensions in terms of mothers' opinions were "emotional" (3.34±0.56) and "quality of care" (3.26 ±0.55) and considering nurses' opinions were "emotional" (3.22± 0.47) and "informational-communicational" (3.22± 0.43). Mann-Whitney test showed no significant differences between mothers' and nurses' opinions regarding four subscales of nursing support (p < 0.21). Conclusion: The opinions of mothers and nurses in the pediatric oncology ward did not differ regarding the availability of nursing support. However with respect to the overall mean of nursing support from mother's perspective, it is necessary to provide further support for mothers by the nurses. The results of this study may be useful for improving nursing care in oncologic wards.