Effective patient education is essential in paediatric oncology to ensure they have the knowledge and ability to correctly administer medications at home and appropriately identify and manage toxicities of cancer therapies. Patient education in paediatric oncology is family-centred, with the ‘family’ comprised of all individuals who are central to the patient’s care. This includes the patient, parents, siblings, guardians, grandparents and others and therefore education must meet the differing needs of multiple generations as learners and caregivers. The ability of children to understand health related information including their treatment, medicines and toxicities depends on their age and developmental level and educational strategies must be tailored to this.
Poor health literacy is associated with decreased adherence to medications and poor adherence to oral chemotherapy increases the rate of relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. In addition, suboptimal communication between families and health care professionals is a key cause of oral chemotherapy administration errors in children at home. As the use of oral cancer therapies increases in children, effective educational strategies around medicines is of increasing importance and has the potential to positively impact patient outcomes and safety.
This presentation will discuss the educational needs of children and their families in paediatric oncology and strategies to optimise education to support them in the safe and effective use of cancer therapies and other medicines.