Background

Young children are increasingly surviving their cancer and their experiences of living with cancer are crucial to providing evidence based care. Their own experiences of everyday life with cancer were elicitated by interview shortly after diagnosis and six, 12, 18 and 36 months later (2011-2015). Qualitative analyses of the results described the child living with cancer over a three year period as a child apart, striving to live an everyday life. A strong sense of loneliness, isolation, feeling left out and feeling different persisted throughout the study. Emerging issues of survivorship, such as the child’s social needs, were revealed that need to be addressed as young children learn to live an everyday life with cancer and the effects of its treatment.

Methods

The present paper aims to describe the actions taken by the Child Life Specialist Department at a paediatric hospital in the West of Sweden based on these results.

Results

Child Life Specialists (CLS) play an integral role on the oncology team. Guidelines and working practise were developed to meet the child’s social needs. CLS are now present at visits made to preschool/schools together with the consultant oncology nurses and maintain contact with preschool/school personnel over time. Through brochures and meetings the CLS spreads information on the child’s social needs to surrounding municipalities and other CLS teams in Sweden.

Conclusions

The results of studies with young children with cancer need to be implemented and evaluated in clinical care. Traditionally, studies within nursing are disseminated to and implemented by nursing staff. The present study shows how other disciplines can be involved in the dissemination and implementation of nursing study results- with the child and the child’s needs as the guiding point.