The Effect of Palliative Care Education on the Quality of Life of Mothers and Children With Cancer Hospitalized at Seyyed-Al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, 2024; [برر سی تأ ث یر آموزش مراقب ته ای تسک ی نی بر ک یف ی ت زند گی مادران و کودکان مبتلا به سرطانبست ری د ر ب یمارستا ن سیدالشهداء اصفهان سال ۱۴۰۳: ی ک مطال ع ۀ تجرب ی] Publisher

Summary: Can palliative-care training help families facing childhood cancer? Mothers and children improved from baseline, but differences versus controls were not significant. #PalliativeCare #ChildhoodCancer

Atashfaraz A ; Salmani N ; Eftekhari A ; Jafari Mianaei S
Source: Avicenna Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Care Published:2026

Abstract

Background and Objective: The quality of life of mothers and hospitalized children with cancer is adversely affected throughout the course of cancer treatment. The World Health Organization emphasizes the provision of palliative care from the time of diagnosis. This study aimed to determine the effect of palliative care education on the quality of life of mothers and children with cancer hospitalized at Seyed al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, 2024. Materials and Methods: This experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a one-month follow-up and a control group. The sample consisted of 34 mothers of children with cancer who were referred to Seyed al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, during the second half of 2024. The educational intervention included six in-person workshop sessions for mothers, followed by one month of virtual follow-up via the Eitaa platform. Data collection instruments included a demographic questionnaire, the KINDL Quality of Life Questionnaire for children, and the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer for mothers. The validity and reliability of both questionnaires had been previously established in Iran. Data were collected at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after, and a month post-intervention. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 21), applying descriptive and inferential statistics, including chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc tests. Results: The mean age of children in the control and intervention groups was 9.1 ± 2.1 and 9.7 ± 2.2 years, respectively, while the mean age of mothers was 35.7 ± 3.4 in the control group and 34.6 ± 4.1 in the intervention group. In the intervention group, the mean quality of life scores for both mothers and children showed a significant increase immediately after the intervention and at one-month follow-up, compared to baseline (P<0.01). In contrast, no statistically significant changes were observed over time in the control group (P<0.05). However, differences regarding the mean quality of life scores between the intervention and control groups across pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Educating mothers about palliative care can improve the quality of life of both mothers and children with cancer. Therefore, given the establishment of pediatric palliative care centers, it is recommended that educating parents of children with cancer be prioritized to facilitate timely referral to these centers and the integration of palliative care with other necessary treatments throughout the disease trajectory. Copyright © 2025 Avicenna Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Care.