Family support program for childhood cancer patients aiming for autonomy

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K14153
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 09030:Childhood and nursery/pre-school education-related
• Research Institution: Shikoku University
• Principal Investigator: SUZUKI Tomiko 四国大学, 看護学部, 教授 (60518067)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 保育所看護師 / 多職種連携 / 家族支援 / 医療保育専門士

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A state of emergency was declared in Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, because vaccination of elderly people was prioritized, support for children with chronic diseases who had not yet been vaccinated became an urgent issue at day-care centers. This study aimed to clarify whether children using day-care centers during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced the need for hospitalization, how such hospitalizations related to parents’ anxieties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxieties were related to the burden caused by anxiety about infection and restrictions on movement, such as the high likelihood of family members becoming infected at work and a lack of support from family members living outside the prefecture due to restrictions on inter-prefectural movement. These findings suggest the need to provide counseling and support tailored to each child's and family's circumstances concurrently with measures to prevent the spread of infection among children.

Free Research Field

小児保健

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

新型コロナウイルス感染症の流行時に保育所保護者へ調査を実施して既往歴のある子どもの保護者が抱える不安と保育所看護師への期待がわかった。また、保育所看護師への聞き取り調査では、一人職種に対する不安があった。今後は小児慢性疾患をもつ子どもと家族を支える多職種連携に向けた取り組みも一層重要と示唆された。保育学生対象の調査では医療保育専門士が活動しているもののまだまだ認知されていない現状であることがわかった。今回は4年制大学児童学科学生を対象とし今後学ぶ機会があると考えるが、慢性疾患の子どもが治療継続しながら社会参加できる環境の実現には、保育士を目指す教育機関での多職種授業が効果的であったと考える。