Dataset Information

Clinician Emotions Surrounding Pediatric Oncology Patient Deterioration.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pediatric oncology patients have a high rate of clinical deterioration frequently requiring critical care. Patient deterioration events are distressing for clinicians, but little is known about how Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) impact clinicians' emotional responses to deterioration events.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 nurses, pediatricians, oncologists, and intensive care clinicians who had recently participated in a patient deterioration event at two pediatric oncology hospitals of different resource-levels: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (N = 42 participants) in Memphis, Tennessee or Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica (N = 41 participants) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Interviews were conducted in the participants' native language (English or Spanish), transcribed, and translated into English. Each transcript was coded by two researchers and analyzed for thematic content.

Results

Emotions around patient deterioration including concern, fear, and frustration were reported across all disciplines at both hospitals. Concern was often triggered by an elevated PEWS score and usually resulted in increased attention, which reassured bedside clinicians that patients were receiving necessary interventions. However, persistently elevated PEWS scores, particularly at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, occasionally resulted in a false sense of relief, diminishing clinician attention and negatively impacting patient care. Nurses at both institutions described how PEWS amplified their voices, engendering confidence and empowerment, two of the only positive emotions described in the study.

Conclusion

Clinicians experienced a range of emotions while caring for high-risk patients in the setting of clinical deterioration. These emotions have the potential to contribute to compassion fatigue and burnout, or to resilience. Acknowledgment and further investigation of the complex interplay between PEWS and clinician emotions are necessary to maximize the impact of PEWS on patient safety while simultaneously supporting staff wellbeing.

SUBMITTER: Graetz DE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7947818 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Clinician Emotions Surrounding Pediatric Oncology Patient Deterioration.

Graetz Dylan E DE Giannars Emily E Kaye Erica C EC Garza Marcela M Ferrara Gia G Rodriguez Mario M Soberanis Vasquez Dora Judith DJ Mendez Aceituno Alejandra A Antillon-Klussmann Federico F Gattuso Jami S JS Andes Karen L KL Mandrell Belinda N BN Baker Justin N JN Rodriguez-Galindo Carlos C Agulnik Asya A

Frontiers in oncology 20210225

<h4>Background</h4>Pediatric oncology patients have a high rate of clinical deterioration frequently requiring critical care. Patient deterioration events are distressing for clinicians, but little is known about how Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) impact clinicians' emotional responses to deterioration events.<h4>Methods</h4>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 nurses, pediatricians, oncologists, and intensive care clinicians who had recently participated in a patient deteri ...[more]

PMID: 33718195

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Dataset Information

Clinician Emotions Surrounding Pediatric Oncology Patient Deterioration.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Clinician Emotions Surrounding Pediatric Oncology Patient Deterioration.

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