Complementary health approaches used for the symptom on pediatric oncology patients

COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACHES USED FOR THE SYMPTOM ON PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the complementary health approaches used for the symptoms in pediatric oncology patients, their positive-negative effects and the factors that influence their usage. The research data were obtained by considering three forms of literature created by researchers. These forms; the questionnaire consists of children and information that identifies the family, parents of complementary health approaches they use for common symptoms in children, the use quantity/frequency, whether the side effects and and health professionals to share their status with this approach including parental data form, 7 for children over the age is the data forms of symptom prepared in order to determine their own approach applied. The research data were collected through the method of face-to-face interview with the parents of 156 children in the Pediatric Oncology Clinic and Pediatric Oncology Polyclinic of Akdeniz University Hospital and Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital between March and November 2014. The data were evaluated with number/percentage distributions and the chi-square test. 99.4% of the parents that participated in the research were using at least one of the complementary health approaches for their children. It was discovered that the parents used mind-body practices (96.8%), nutritional suppplements (73.1%) and natural/herbal products (44.2%) among the complementary health approaches for their children. In this study, praying (96.8%), vowing/sacrificing animals (50.6%), carob molasses (27.6%), grape molasses (22.4%) and massage (22.4%) were among the complementary health approaches frequently used by the parents. 42 parents neutropenia and one parent also uses the carob molasses to eliminate the symptoms seen in children with mouth sores that, a total of 35 parents; pain (n=34) and irritability (n=1) is applied the child massage to eliminate the symptoms, 32 parents neutropenia, a parent in the mouth sores, loss of appetite and grape molasses used to eliminate the symptoms of weakness that. Parents stated that they used complementary health approaches due to reasons such as strengthening the immune system of their children (61.3%), doing their best for their treatment (38.1) and preventing the side effects of the drugs/radiotherapy (25.8%). None of the parents experienced any side effects based on the usage of the complementary health approaches. No statistically significant relationships were found between the family structure, economic status, the status of having the same disease within the family, age group of the mother and educational status of the mother and the usage of complementary health approaches (p>0.05). It is seen that complementary health approaches on pediatric oncology patients are increasing rapidly. A nurse is a member of the healthcare team who communicate with child and his/her parents in the closest and most frequent way. Nurses serving children with diagnosis leukaemia and their parents should inform parents about complementary health approaches which have no evidence and is potentially harmful and encourage them to approaches supportive to medical treatment. Key Words: Cancer, Child, Complementary health approach, Nurse