Abstract
Back ground: This project is part of the Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership Academy (MCHNLA) presented by Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma) in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. Children with cancer (0-5 years) are a highly vulnerable group who are subject to delays in diagnosis and treatment due to both disease and patient related factors. Childhood cancer symptoms are often vague and non-specific, may mimic common transient conditions, resulting in delayed diagnosis of childhood cancer. Delayed diagnosis may have a significant impact on life expectancy and cure rates, quality of life of the child, financial impact on the healthcare system and psycho social aspects affecting the child and his/her family. Factors affecting timely diagnosis include vague or non specific symptoms that mimic benign conditions, thus parents and healthcare workers often miss them or do not take the symptoms seriously Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to provide community and healthcare workers in primary healthcare settings with information, tools and guidelines on early danger signs related to childhood cancer. Methods (Principles, methods/approaches were involved) The following approaches were applied:  Development of a simplified assessment tool for healthcare workers  Presentation on early detection of cancer in children to healthcare workers  Presentations in two informal settlements to community members  Distribution of leaflets with a list of danger signs amongst the community in the informal settlements and the clinic  Poster on childhood cancer for display in the waiting area and consultation rooms at the clinic Results: Preliminary results suggest an improved assessment and screening of children for early signs of cancer. Conclusion(s): Presentations to inter-professional team of the clinic and community members contribute to awareness of early detection of warning signs of cancer, which in turn might contribute to early diagnosis and treatment Implications: Increased awareness by primary healthcare workers and the public might enhance early diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer in children. The initiative can be expanded to advocate for implementation of a cancer registry
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Lead Author Affiliation
Steven Biko Academic Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quality Improvement
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Maternal-child Health, Cancer Detection, Leadership Development
Recommended Citation
Kors, Ursula; Scheepers, Mariana; and Maree, Carin, "Awareness of early detection of cancer in children aged 0-5 years in a primary healthcare setting" (2019). Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership - Africa. 8.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/mchnla/2019/posters/8
Conference Name
Inter-professional Education and Collaborative Practice for Africa Conference
Conference Host
Tau Lambda at-Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International||WHO Regional Office for Africa||Amref International University||Africa Interprofessional Education Network (AfrIPEN)||WHO-FIC Collaborating Centre for the African region
Conference Location
Nairobi, Kenya
Conference Year
2019
Rights Holder
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Review Type
Faculty/Mentor Approved: Sigma Academy Participant Poster
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Awareness of early detection of cancer in children aged 0-5 years in a primary healthcare setting
Nairobi, Kenya
Back ground: This project is part of the Maternal-Child Health Nurse Leadership Academy (MCHNLA) presented by Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma) in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. Children with cancer (0-5 years) are a highly vulnerable group who are subject to delays in diagnosis and treatment due to both disease and patient related factors. Childhood cancer symptoms are often vague and non-specific, may mimic common transient conditions, resulting in delayed diagnosis of childhood cancer. Delayed diagnosis may have a significant impact on life expectancy and cure rates, quality of life of the child, financial impact on the healthcare system and psycho social aspects affecting the child and his/her family. Factors affecting timely diagnosis include vague or non specific symptoms that mimic benign conditions, thus parents and healthcare workers often miss them or do not take the symptoms seriously Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to provide community and healthcare workers in primary healthcare settings with information, tools and guidelines on early danger signs related to childhood cancer. Methods (Principles, methods/approaches were involved) The following approaches were applied:  Development of a simplified assessment tool for healthcare workers  Presentation on early detection of cancer in children to healthcare workers  Presentations in two informal settlements to community members  Distribution of leaflets with a list of danger signs amongst the community in the informal settlements and the clinic  Poster on childhood cancer for display in the waiting area and consultation rooms at the clinic Results: Preliminary results suggest an improved assessment and screening of children for early signs of cancer. Conclusion(s): Presentations to inter-professional team of the clinic and community members contribute to awareness of early detection of warning signs of cancer, which in turn might contribute to early diagnosis and treatment Implications: Increased awareness by primary healthcare workers and the public might enhance early diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer in children. The initiative can be expanded to advocate for implementation of a cancer registry