Total Care of the Child with Cancer

Abstract

Total care is the term used to encompass all types of treatment given to the child with cancer. It includes multimodal therapy, designed to achieve the maximum of cures with the minimum likelihood of late complications, physical support, such as antibiotics, blood products, and nutrition, as well as psychosocial support. The following article deals with the staff necessary to deal with psychosocial issues and the manner in which they work. The size of the staff varies with the number of patients treated, but includes pediatricians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, play therapists, educators, and chaplains. They are involved with the patient in varying degrees, depending upon the stage of the disease and the particular kinds of crises. These crises occur at the time of diagnosis, the initiation of treatment, the discontinuation of treatment, entry into adult life, relapse and death. Programs can be developed to make the maximum use of the staff time available.