Bone marrow transplant today--home tomorrow: ambulatory care issues in pediatric marrow transplantation.

Pediatric marrow transplantation is now an accepted and increasingly successful intensive therapy for a wide range of disorders in children. Supportive therapies that were once thought to be possible only in the acute care setting can now be safely managed in the outpatient arena. This shift is influenced by scientific and patient care advances and by managed care and cost containment trends. The purpose of this article is to examine the interrelated aspects of change in health care delivery and their impact on pediatric bone marrow transplant recipients and families. Nurses working in all aspects of pediatric marrow transplantation have an opportunity and responsibility to impact quality patient care in the outpatient setting.