Family-centered care in pediatric oncology

Abstract

Family-centered care (FCC) is a philosophy and an approach to care that provides a pathway to engage with children and their families during their experience with cancer. Adopting a family-centered perspective in pediatric oncology requires a dynamic and evolving approach. As treatments evolve and the landscape of childhood cancer changes, so, too, do needs within the context of patient- and family-centered care. Thus, we propose family-centered precision health in pediatric oncology as a framework to guide engagement with and care of children with cancer and their families. We address what is ready to translate into clinical nursing practice with families and what elements of FCC require more robust evidence to achieve FCC conceptual maturity.