Pediatric Oncology Nursing Tools and Resources

Now more than ever, patients and families are seeking virtual care from their healthcare teams. Derived from a comprehensive literature review of current best telepractice standards in pediatric oncology, the POGO Nursing Telepractice Guidance Document for Pediatric Oncology Nurses supports nurses in delivering safe and effective telepractice care to children and youth with cancer and their families.

The document offers symptom assessment and guidance for constipation, diarrhea, chicken pox exposure, nausea and vomiting, fever, mucositis and acute pain. It also covers telepractice communication principles and techniques, call closure, communication challenges and more!

The POGO Nursing Telepractice Guidance Document is subject to ongoing revisions and updates. If you wish to download and save a local copy of this document, we recommend you regularly check the version posted here to ensure you have the most up-to-date guidance.

Nurses play a critical role in the delivery of patient and family education and rely on access to trusted resources and tools with standardized content that can be individualized to meet the unique needs of each family. Pediatric oncology nurses witness significant family distress at the time a child is first diagnosed with cancer, a time when families must learn an overwhelming amount of new information.

During the early treatment phase, children are predominantly cared for in the outpatient and home setting by their families. This places the burden of responsibility on parents to monitor and manage symptoms and side effects of treatment and recognize and respond to signs of potentially life-threatening toxicities and complications. Providing education to nurses during this time and a sense of doing it well is a vital component of nursing job satisfaction. Nurses must understand what constitutes the delivery of quality education but also have access to effective teaching tools.