Nurses’ Experiences in Assessing and Promoting Optimal Nutrition During Pediatric Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundChildhood cancer often entails long-term treatment, with various side effects that affect the nutritional status of patients. Nurses play a pivotal role in assessing and promoting nutritional support. Therefore, we aimed to explore the experiences of clinical nurses assessing and promoting optimal nutrition supportive care during pediatric cancer treatment.MethodFour focus groups involving 22 clinical nurses were conducted at the four tertiary hospitals in Norway treating children with cancer. Analysis was guided by Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic approach. The study adhered to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research.ResultsFour themes were created. Nurses employed a holistic approach to plan and integrate nutritional care in collaboration with families, dietitians, doctors, and other professionals. Barriers in nutritional oncology care identified were treatment side effects, time constraints, and inadequate use of guidelines. Nurses experienced difficulties discussing overweight conditions with patients.DiscussionOur study offers insight into the importance of close collaboration with every single family, thus promoting family-centered care for assessing and promoting optimal nutritional status during treatment for pediatric oncology. Nurses must have a broad perspective on what constitutes optimal nutritional care. Using guidelines in a systematic manner is crucial to prevent malnutrition during childhood cancer treatment.