Wolfe, Joanne

AbstractBackgroundBereaved parents experience life‐long grief after the death of their child from cancer. Parents who can integrate their grief and maintain their social functioning early in bereavement, even in the setting of concurrent psychosocial distress, have improved outcomes. Identifying the factors associated with bereaved parents' early social functioning can guide future supportive interventions.MethodsThe authors surveyed parents of children who died from cancer at two large centers 6–24 months after death, assessing bereavement experiences using validated and pilot tested tools. Univariable and multivariable logistical regression models were used to examine which family and child demographic, treatment, and end‐of‐life (EOL) factors were associated with maintained parental social functioning (T scores ≥40 on the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities‐Short Form questionnaire).ResultsOne hundred twenty‐eight parents of 88 children participated (38% household response rate); most parents identified as female (63%) and White (88%). Parents' median age was 47 years (interquartile range, 10 years); and the median time from the child's death to survey completion was 13 months (interquartile range, 10 months). In multivariate modeling, parents without household material hardship and those who felt prepared for EOL circumstances had increased odds of maintained social functioning (odds ratio, 4.7 [95% confidence interval, 1.6–13.7; p < .004] and 5.5 [95% confidence interval, 1.9–15.9; p < .002], respectively).ConclusionsParents who felt prepared for their child's EOL and those without household material hardship were more likely to have maintained social functioning in the first 2 years after their child’s death. Interventions targeting EOL preparedness and alleviating household material hardship may improve bereavement outcomes.

BackgroundCommunication gaps arise early in the childhood cancer trajectory and may persist. The authors conducted a pilot study of the feasibility and acceptability of a communication intervention, the Day 100 Talk (D100). D100 involves an interprofessional family conference during initial months of treatment between oncologists, psychosocial clinicians, and parents, facilitated by a 3‐part conversation tool.MethodsThe authors enrolled English‐speaking parents of children with nonrelapsed, nonprogressive cancer who were receiving continuity care from enrolled pediatric oncologists and psychosocial clinicians at a single site. The a priori feasibility threshold was 60% parent completion of the D100 intervention. Surveys from parents and professionals and debrief interviews with professionals assessed D100 acceptability.ResultsThirty‐seven parents (77%) and 38 oncology professionals (67%) enrolled. Twenty of 33 evaluable parents (61%) participated in a D100 family conference. Most commonly, parents did not complete the D100 intervention because of scheduling difficulties related to clinical team constraints. All 17 parents who completed a post‐D100 survey agreed or strongly agreed that D100 participation was helpful. In debrief interviews, professionals identified D100 benefits, namely, stepping back to the big picture and getting on the same page, and barriers related to logistical challenges and professionals' anticipatory dread.ConclusionsThe D100 intervention pilot demonstrates high acceptability among parents of children with cancer. Despite meeting the prespecified feasibility threshold, findings highlight important barriers to D100 dissemination, namely, perceived burdens on professionals. Potential strategies to reduce burden may include using virtual visit platforms, incorporating D100 elements across multiple visits, or prioritizing intervention delivery to parents with the greatest need for enhanced communication.

Pediatric palliative care aims to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life of children with serious disease and increase support for their parents and other family members. Integration of palliative care into the routine care of children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer has resulted in improved outcomes in patients and their families. The field of pediatric palliative oncology—encompassing primary palliative care provided by the multidisciplinary oncology team as well as subspecialty palliative care provided by the palliative care team for more complex cases—is unique from palliative care in adults given its focus on care of the child and the larger family. In this review, we focus on advancements in the specific domains within pediatric palliative oncology care including family-centered communication, assessment and management of physical symptoms and distress, psychosocial concerns, and spiritual considerations of the patient, parents, and siblings.

Abstract Introduction: Outcome disparities related to race and area-based socioeconomic status (SES) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) have been identified in adult patients [Baker et al. 2009]. The relationship between SES and outcomes in pediatric allo-HCT has not been previously described. Among a large cohort of pediatric allo-HCT recipients we sought to determine the impact of area-based poverty on 5-year outcomes of overall survival (OS), acute and chronic graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD, cGVHD); as well as the short-term outcome of infection through day 100 . Methods: We utilized the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) database to examine the association of sociodemographic variables with outcomes in two cohorts of pediatric transplant recipients aged <=18 years who received allo-HCT at U.S. centers between 2006-2015. Cohort 1 (malignant) included 2053 children who received myeloablative conditioning for any malignancy. Cohort 2 (non-malignant) included 1696 children who received myeloablative or reduced-intensity conditioning for any non-malignant disease. Zip codes of child's residence were categorized as high-poverty area (>=20% households living below 100% federal poverty level (FPL)) versus low-poverty area (<20% households below 100% FPL) by linkage to U.S. Census data [Krieger et al. 2002]. Individual-level sociodemographic variables including insurance (Medicaid-only vs Other), race (Caucasian vs Black vs Other) and ethnicity (non-Hispanic vs Hispanic) were included as covariates. Cox regression was used to examine the effect of patient-related (age, performance status, insurance, race, and ethnicity), disease-related (disease type and status), and HCT-related (donor/graft type, CMV status, stem cell source, HLA match, donor age and gender, conditioning regimen and intensity, GVHD prophylaxis, year of HCT) variables on the outcomes of interest between the two area-based poverty groups. Results: Fifteen percent (N=299) of children in Cohort 1 lived in a high-poverty area; 35% (N=711) were insured by Medicaid-only; 11% (N=227) were African-American and 20% (N=417) Hispanic. Median follow-up of survivors was 74 months. In multivariable analysis, there was no association between area-based poverty and OS; however, OS was inferior in children with Medicaid-only insurance compared to those with private insurance (HR 1.22 (95% CI 1.06-1.40), p=0.0037) and in Black children compared to Caucasian (HR 2.02 (95% CI 1.10-3.73), p=0.0234). For the secondary outcomes of aGVHD, cGVHD or infection through day 100, there were no associations between area-based poverty, insurance, race, or ethnicity in multivariable analysis. To further explore the independent association of insurance with OS, we performed an ad hoc univariate analysis that demonstrated that insurance-related differences in OS for malignant disease appear to be driven by differences in treatment-related mortality (TRM) (5-year TRM: Medicaid-only 25% (95% CI 22-28) versus 18% (95% CI 16-21) other). Thirteen percent (N=228) of children in Cohort 2 lived in a high-poverty zip code; 35% were insured by Medicaid-only (N=597); 20% (N=332) were African-American and 20% (N=344) Hispanic. Median follow-up of survivors was 74 months. In multivariable analyses, there was no association between area-based poverty, insurance, race or ethnicity and any outcome. Conclusion: Area-based poverty is not associated with disparate outcomes in pediatric allo-HCT for malignant or non-malignant disease. In the setting of malignant disease, insurance-a household-level measure of socioeconomic status-and Black race are independently associated with inferior OS. These results suggest that future prospective investigation of more refined measures of household-level socioeconomic status may identify risk-factors for treatment-related mortality in this population. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

53 Background: The National Academy of Medicine recommends interprofessional collaboration to promote optimal patient- and family-centered care. We sought to understand whether medical and psychosocial professionals who participated in an interprofessional communication intervention perceived it as distinct from usual clinical care. Methods: Our intervention targeted “medical” (physicians, nurse practitioners) and “psychosocial” (social workers, psychologists) professionals. It consisted of an interprofessional family conference, using a structured conversation guide, conducted during the first 6 months of a child’s cancer care. Conferences aimed to enable families to share hopes and worries and ask questions about their child’s care. Clinicians received a 60-minute training focused on communication skills, such as eliciting families’ hopes and worries, and suggested approaches to collaborating during conferences. Clinicians participated in debriefing interviews after each conference (range 1-3). Three of us conducted thematic analysis of interview data. Results: Twenty-two professionals (6 attending MDs, 4 fellow MDs, 8 NPs, and 8 psychosocial clinicians) gave 34 interviews. Medical and psychosocial professionals described interprofessional family conferences as distinct from usual practice patterns, largely due to their interprofessional colleagues’ presence. This co-presence contributed to “being on the same page.” Conferences sometimes bred a new understanding of a family’s needs and consequent care changes. However, both medical and psychosocial professionals noted that psychosocial professionals often were not vocal contributors to the conference. Some psychosocial clinicians reported being unsure of “the rules.” Conclusions: An interprofessional communication intervention promoted shared understanding between interprofessional colleagues. However, medical professionals were described as more vocal, perhaps due to insufficient role clarity or medical dominance.