The Importance of the Setting during Sedation for Intrathecal Chemotherapy in Pediatric Oncology Care: A Case Study

Abstract

Increasing survival rates for childhood cancer have brought attention to the high level of burden of cancer and its treatment. Improving supportive care for children throughout their cancer trajectory is thus important and could reduce the difficulties related to treatment, including time-consuming treatments and the waiting time associated with treatment procedures. The aim of this study is to describe time intervals and the Propofol dose used during sedation for intrathecal chemotherapy in three different settings. The study is based on retrospective data from repeated treatment sessions recorded in operation planning programs and hospital records in the period 2011–2018 ( n = 164). Children, 1–12 years old ( n = 22), undergoing a varying number of treatments, were included in the study. The most crucial finding in this study is that the time from the child’s first meeting with the nurse anesthetist to the induction of sedation is significantly reduced if the procedure is performed in the children’s ward. The study highlights the importance of the setting for sedation for intrathecal chemotherapy when implementing a child-centered approach in pediatric oncology care.