Publications by authors named "Susan Kuczynski"
Importance: Pediatric patients with cancer experience severely bothersome symptoms during treatment. It was hypothesized that symptom screening and provision of symptom reports to the health care team would reduce symptom burden in pediatric patients with cancer.
Objective: To determine if daily symptom screening and provision of symptom reports to the health care team was associated with lower total symptom burden as measured by the Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) compared to usual care among pediatric patients with cancer admitted to a hospital or seen in a clinic daily for at least 5 days.
Our objective was to update a clinical practice guideline for the prevention and treatment of infection (CDI) in pediatric patients with cancer and hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients. We reconvened an international multi-disciplinary panel. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for the prevention or treatment of CDI in any population was updated and identified 31 new RCTs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Pain is a significant issue for young children with cancer and their families, often exacerbated by limited management options at home.
- The study aimed to co-design a digital app by exploring parents' views on its usefulness, necessary features, and potential challenges through interviews with parents and healthcare professionals.
- Findings indicated that participants viewed the app as a promising tool to facilitate pain management by providing real-time support and information while highlighting the need for accessible features and potential workload concerns for caregivers and clinicians.
Objectives: Primary objectives were to determine the relationship between prevalence of symptom documentation and intervention provision, and increasing severity of bothersome symptoms, as identified by guardians using guardian-reported Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (proxy-SSPedi), which is validated and measures the extent of bothersome symptoms in paediatric patients with cancer.
Methods: We included guardians of children 2-7 years of age receiving cancer treatments and seen in hospital daily for 4 consecutive days. Guardians reported proxy-SSPedi at study enrolment and 3 days later.
Young children receiving outpatient cancer care are vulnerable to undermanaged pain. App-based solutions that provide pain treatment advice to parents in real-time and in all environments may improve access to quality pain care. We used a parent co-design approach involving iterative rounds of user testing and software modification to develop a usable Pain Caregiver Resource (PainCaRe) real-time pediatric cancer pain management app.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Primary objective was to determine the feasibility of three times weekly symptom reporting by pediatric cancer patients for eight weeks.
Methods: We included English-speaking patients 8-18 years of age with cancer. Patients were sent reminders by text or email to complete Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) three times weekly for eight weeks.
Background: Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) was developed for symptom screening by children 8-18 years. Objectives were to evaluate the reliability and validity of proxy-SSPedi and self-report mini-SSPedi for younger children.
Methods: This multi-center study enrolled guardians of children 2-7 years receiving cancer treatments (proxy-SSPedi) and their children 4-7 years (mini-SSPedi).
Introduction: The objectives of this study were to describe reports of bother for feeling scared or worried among children with cancer and pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, and to identify factors associated with it.
Methods: We included children receiving cancer treatments who were 8-18 years of age. Three patient types were enrolled: inpatients receiving active cancer treatment, outpatients receiving maintenance acute lymphoblastic leukemia chemotherapy, and outpatients in survivorship.
Introduction: Pain negatively affects the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of adolescents with cancer. The Pain Squad+ smartphone-based application (app), has been developed to provide adolescents with real-time pain self-management support. The app uses a validated pain assessment and personalised pain treatment advice with centralised decision support via a registered nurse to enable real-time pain treatment in all settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Supportive care Prioritization, Assessment and Recommendations for Kids (SPARK) is a web-based application that enables symptom screening and access to clinical practice guidelines for symptom management. Objective was to determine the feasibility of a randomized trial of daily symptom screening for 5 days among children receiving cancer treatments.
Methods: We included English-speaking pediatric cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients who were 8-18 years of age at enrollment and who were expected to be in the hospital or in clinic daily for five consecutive days.
Background: Supportive care Prioritization, Assessment and Recommendations for Kids (SPARK) is a web application focused on improving symptom control. It enables pediatric cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients to self-report and track symptoms, and allows healthcare professionals to access guidelines for symptom management. Objective was to determine the feasibility of longitudinal collection of symptom data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We developed Supportive care Prioritization, Assessment and Recommendations for Kids (SPARK), a web-based application designed to facilitate symptom screening by children receiving cancer treatments and access to supportive care clinical practice guidelines primarily by healthcare providers. The objective was to describe the initial development and evaluation of SPARK from the perspective of children.
Implementation: Development and evaluation occurred in three phases: (1) low fidelity focused on functionality, (2) design focused on "look and feel" and (3) high fidelity confirmed functionality and design.
Background: The Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) is valid for assessing symptoms in children aged 8-18 years receiving cancer treatments. The objective was to develop a new self-report symptom screening tool for children receiving cancer treatments who are 4-7 years of age (mini-SSPedi), based on SSPedi.
Methods: Respondents were children with cancer or pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients who were 4-7 years of age.
Background: Objectives were to describe bothersome fatigue in children with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) recipients and to identify factors associated with severely bothersome fatigue.
Methods: We included children ages 8-18 years treated for cancer or HSCT recipients from three groups: [1] receiving active cancer treatment and admitted to hospital for at least 3 days, [2] attending outpatient clinic for acute lymphoblastic leukemia maintenance therapy, and [3] attending outpatient clinic following treatment completion. Fatigue was measured using the Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi); severely bothersome fatigue was defined as a lot or extremely bothersome fatigue (score of 3-4 on 0-4 scale).
Background: Objectives were to describe bothersome self-reported changes in taste in pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) patients and to identify patient and treatment-related factors associated with bothersome taste changes.
Methods: We prospectively enrolled children and adolescents with cancer or pediatric HSCT recipients 8-18 years of age from three groups: inpatients receiving cancer treatments; outpatients in maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); and outpatients in survivorship. Bothersome changes in taste was self-reported using the Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi); nausea was self-reported using the Pediatric Nausea Assessment Tool (PeNAT).
Purpose: The aim of this work was to develop a clinical practice guideline for the prevention and treatment of infection (CDI) in children and adolescents with cancer and pediatric hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) patients.
Methods: An international multidisciplinary panel of experts in pediatric oncology and infectious diseases with patient advocate representation was convened. We performed systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials for the prevention or treatment of CDI in any population and considered the directness of the evidence to children with cancer and pediatric HSCT patients.
Objectives: Primary objectives were to evaluate the interrater reliability and validity of proxy-report Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) in children with cancer and pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Secondary objective was to describe the interrater reliability of each SSPedi item.
Methods: Respondents were children aged eight to 18 years with cancer or HSCT recipients, and their parents or guardians.
Objectives were to describe any bothersome symptom and severely bothersome symptoms in inpatient children with cancer and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. We included children 8-18 years of age with cancer or HSCT recipients who were receiving active treatment for cancer, admitted to hospital, and expected to be in hospital 3 days later. We administered the self-report Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The objective was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the self-report Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) from the perspective of children with cancer and pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients.
Methods: In this multicenter study, respondents were children age eight to 18 years who had cancer or had received HSCT, and their parents. Two different child respondent populations were targeted.
Objective: We previously developed the paper-based Symptom Screening in Pediatrics Tool (SSPedi) designed for paediatric cancer symptom screening. Objectives were to evaluate and refine the electronic mobile application (app) of SSPedi using the opinions of children with cancer.
Methods: Participants were children 8-18 years of age with cancer.
Background: We previously identified published scales for symptom assessment in pediatric cancer patients. The objectives of this study were to identify if any of these scales were suitable for use or adaptation as a self-report symptom screening tool, and if not, to begin the process of creating a new tool.
Methods: A focus group of ten healthcare professionals with expertise in pediatric cancer symptom management and a patient advocate were convened.