Bridging the gap: A quality improvement project to implement psychosocial care standards into clinical practice in pediatric oncology

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Liesa J. Weiler-Wichtl - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Verena Fohn-Erhold - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Carina Schneider - , Medical University of Vienna, Childhood Cancer International – Europe (CCI-E) (Author)
  • Agathe Schwarzinger - , Austrian Childhood Cancer Aid (Author)
  • Kerstin Krottendorfer - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Thomas Pletschko - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Verena Rosenmayr - , University Hospital Vienna (Author)
  • Johannes Gojo - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Andreas Peyrl - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Karin Dieckmann - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Alina Stefanie Kollmann - , Medical University of Vienna, Kepler University Hospital (Author)
  • Rita Hansl - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Irene Slavc - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Jonathan Fries - , Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna (Author)
  • Maximilian Hopfgartner - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Ulrike Leiss - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)

Abstract

Background: Psychosocial guidelines and standards systematically describe stressors and resources in particularly challenging situations and hence serve as a basis for interventions to achieve defined psychosocial goals. Despite fundamental principles and guidelines for psychosocial methods, the quality of provided care varies considerably depending on setting, provision, and profession. The purpose of the present protocol is to illustrate the development and evaluation of the standardized psychological intervention My Logbook, a practical guide accompanying children through all stages of treatment by directly translating current quality standards of psychosocial care into practice. 

Methods: In an evidence-based set-up, using face-to-face discussions and telephone conferences, a multi-professional team of local experts decide on critical disease-related issues, structure, content (information and intervention elements) and design of the quality improvement tool. Via delphi surveys an extended expert team is asked to rate the content, method, and design of all booklets which is concluded by a final agreement by the specialist group for quality assurance of the psychosocial working group in the Society for Pediatric Oncology (PSAPOH). The developed tools are piloted in an international multicenter study to evaluate the patient-reported outcome and feasibility and to integrate practical views of patients, as well as psychosocial and interdisciplinary professionals into the further development of the My Logbook. 

Discussion: The iterative development of the My Logbook including local and international experts as well as the patient and practical perspective allow for the design of a process-oriented, consensus - and evidence-based tool directly translating the S3-Guideline into clinical practice. Feasibility and applicability are fostered through an iterative process of constant evaluation and adaptation of the tool by international experts and through the clinical experience gathered in the multi-centered pilot study. Furthermore, the systematic evaluation of the tool by patients, psychosocial, and interdisciplinary professionals enables the identification of persisting gaps between evidence-based standards and clinical practice, discrepancies between the various stakeholders' perspectives as well as regional differences in feasibility, thereby directly linking practice and research. The preliminary results emphasize that psychological support can be standardized, enabling an evaluation and optimization of psychosocial care which future studies need to assess in multicenter clinical randomized controlled trials.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)350-359
Number of pages10
JournalKlinische Padiatrie
Volume235
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2023
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37494589
PubMedCentral PMC10635755

Keywords

Keywords

  • evidence - and consensus-based guidelines, implementation research, patient-centered care, pediatric oncology, quality improvement, therapy optimization