Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Gail Bass

Keywords

Child; Medical Oncology -- popular works; Neoplasms -- psychology; Parents -- education

Abstract

In America, approximately 12,400 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year (Harris, 2004). The number of newly diagnosed children is on a steady increase. With this steady increase it is important to ensure that parents of the child diagnosed with cancer have resources about cancer and the treatment process as well as support. A review of current literature, research, and resources was conducted in order to locate the gaps within pediatric oncology. The literature helped identify areas of concern related to pediatric oncology. The areas identified consist of the parents having minimal knowledge while under emotional stress when receiving the unexpected news. Another problem is the lack of user friendly resources for parents. The current resources include medical jargon, are lengthy, and contain in-depth information about cancer. The product of this scholarly project is a handbook for parents written in family friendly language. The handbook has it’s foundation from current research and literature and is based on the Occupational Adaptation Theory (Schkade & Schults, 2003). It is designed by occupational therapist to be distributed by health professionals diagnosing the child to parents and caregivers.

The Pediatric Oncology: Parent Education Handbook was developed to provide parents and caregivers with information about how to cope, handle, and survive when their child is diagnosed with cancer. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, things may seem overwhelming; this handbook outlines what to expect and in order to assist the parent/caregiver in becoming an advocate and supporter for the child.

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