Nurses’ attitudes in the administration of chemotherapy in pediatric oncology

Abstract

Objective: to examine nurses’ attitudes to the administration of antineoplastics in pediatric oncology. Method: this descriptive study used statistical data analysis. The participants were twenty nurses, who administered chemotherapy to children and adolescents at a teaching hospital in São Paulo City. In 2016, data were collected using a self-report questionnaire on the participants’ characteristics and their experience with chemotherapy administration, which included the main chemotherapy-related fears, concerns and potential adverse events. Results: few participants were specialists in the field of oncology or pediatrics; most sought knowledge and capacity-building on their own initiative; and the nurses classified the activity as complex and specific to those with an interest in the field. Conclusion: all the nurses considered chemotherapy the main treatment for childhood cancer. The factors that most concerned the participants were the risk of extravasation and the lack of appropriate devices for drug administration.