Nursing care approaches to oral mucositis in pediatric oncology clinics: a cross-sectional study from Türkiye

Purpose It is important to determine the approaches for oral mucositis (OM) care in pediatric oncology clinics to reflect the profile of practices. The aim of this study was to report on current nursing care approaches for OM in Türkiye. Methods The descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supportive care in cancer 2023-10, Vol.31 (10), p.557-557, Article 557
Main Authors: Arpaci, Tuba, Semerci, Remziye, Yılmaz, Pınar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbonates
Chewing gum
Cross-sectional studies
Evidence-based medicine
Glutamine
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mucositis
Nursing
Nursing care
Nursing Research
Oncology
Pain Medicine
Pediatric nursing
Pediatrics
Rehabilitation Medicine
Stomatitis
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Summary:Purpose It is important to determine the approaches for oral mucositis (OM) care in pediatric oncology clinics to reflect the profile of practices. The aim of this study was to report on current nursing care approaches for OM in Türkiye. Methods The descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with nurse managers in pediatric oncology centers in Türkiye between April and December 2022. The data were obtained online by reaching pediatric oncology nurse managers. The data was collected with the “Oral Mucositis Care Application Form” developed by the researchers based on current literature. Results The study reached approximately 60% ( n  = 41) of pediatric oncology clinics across Türkiye. Oral assessment of children was mainly conducted by nurses (95.1%), and 53.7% of clinics used the WHO Oral Mucositis Assessment Scale. To prevent OM, oral care routines were performed twice a day (36.6%) using sodium bicarbonate (61%) and 0.9% sodium chloride (26.8%) agents. For oral mucositis management, pharmacological agents included glutamine (oral) (51.2%), chlorhexidine (43.9%), and benzydamine hydrochloride (36.6%), while non-pharmacological agents included black mulberry syrup (41.5%), honey (19.8%), and chewing gum (9.8%). Chlorhexidine and benzydamine hydrochloride were used for all mucositis grades, while glutamine was frequently used for grades 2 and above. Conclusions The study revealed that the practices related to preventing and managing oral mucositis in pediatric oncology clinics in Türkiye are heterogeneous. These findings will contribute to the existing literature on the multidisciplinary, systematic, and evidence-based approaches used in oral mucositis care in Türkiye.
ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s00520-023-08030-9