Graetz Dylan E, Wardell Joseph, Hameed Ambreen, Tul Quanita Afia, Najmi Atoofa, Ahmad Safwan, Shafiq Muhammad, Naheed Asma, Munir Shabnam, Ferrara Gia, Staples Courtney, Chen Yichen, Devidas Meenakshi, Rodriguez-Galindo Carlos, Jeha Sima, Mack Jennifer W, Ahmer Hamid Syed, Ahmad Alia, Rafie Raza Muhammad
Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States.
University of Child Health Sciences, Children's Hospital Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Front Oncol. 2025 Sep 9;15:1616467. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1616467. eCollection 2025.
Information exchange is a core component of communication that has been understudied globally. This study sought to examine eight core functions of communication, including information exchange, among caregivers of children with cancer in Pakistan, a middle-income country with >8,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year.
A cross-sectional survey was administered to 200 caregivers of children with cancer at two major centers in Pakistan. Surveys contained socio-demographic characteristics and questions related to priorities and experiences for communication and information exchange. Surveys were verbally administered from March-November 2023.
While over 90% of caregivers prioritized all eight functions of pediatric cancer communication, significantly fewer (p<0.001) experienced each function. Caregivers wanted to know likelihood of cure (99.5%) and late effects (97%), but how they wanted to receive information varied. Most caregivers (>90%) understood what type of treatment their children would receive; fewer correctly identified diagnosis (77%), location (81%), or treatment duration (71%). Caregivers of patients with leukemia were more likely to have a complete understanding of their child's diagnosis and treatment (p<0.0001).
Pakistani caregivers express many of the same communication needs noted in other settings, with similar challenges and larger gaps in care. Interventional work should focus on maximizing human resources, ensuring complete information exchange, and empowering caregivers.
信息交流是沟通的核心组成部分，在全球范围内尚未得到充分研究。本研究旨在调查巴基斯坦儿童癌症患者照料者之间沟通的八项核心功能，包括信息交流。巴基斯坦是一个中等收入国家，每年有超过8000例儿童癌症新病例。
对巴基斯坦两个主要中心的200名儿童癌症患者照料者进行了横断面调查。调查问卷包含社会人口学特征以及与沟通和信息交流的优先事项和经历相关的问题。调查于2023年3月至11月进行口头询问。
虽然超过90%的照料者将儿童癌症沟通的所有八项功能列为优先事项，但实际经历每项功能的照料者明显较少（p<0.001）。照料者想知道治愈的可能性（99.5%）和晚期效应（97%），但他们希望获取信息的方式各不相同。大多数照料者（>90%）了解他们的孩子将接受何种类型的治疗；正确识别诊断（77%）、患病部位（81%）或治疗持续时间（71%）的照料者较少。白血病患者的照料者更有可能全面了解其孩子的诊断和治疗情况（p<0.0001）。
巴基斯坦照料者表达了许多与其他环境中相同的沟通需求，面临着类似的挑战，且在护理方面存在更大差距。干预工作应侧重于最大限度地利用人力资源、确保完整的信息交流以及增强照料者的能力。
