Transcript File - the Community-Based Service

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The impact of a pharmacy student led discussion group on parents of teenagers living
with cancer: a service-based learning project
Rachel Saroka and Amy Parkhill, PhD
St John Fisher College, Wegmans School of Pharmacy, Rochester, NY
Objective
Service based learning courses are becoming more
widespread as the benefits to the students, university, and
community are being recognized. As part of an elective
cancer biology course, students partnered with Teens Living
with Cancer (TLC). TLC is a project of the non-profit
organization Melissa’s Living Legacy Teen Cancer
Foundation. The focus of the study was to determine the
impact of a student led discussion group, covering the longterm consequences of chemotherapy, had on the parents of
teenagers living with cancer.
Methods
• The student led discussion was conducted with parents of
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Introduction
No longer children and not yet adults, adolescents with
cancer face unique challenges both socially and medically.
Over the last 20 years, cancer survival rates have increased
dramatically for children and older adults, but there has
been minimal improvement in survival rates for the
adolescent and young adult (AYA) population.1 Since
teenagers receive chemotherapy early in their life, it puts
them at increased risk of secondary malignancies and other
late onset effects later in their life.2 To address some of
these health consequences, TLC has provided the TLC FIT
program. This was a free eight week fitness program
designed to re-train and empower young adult cancer
survivors ages 13 to 22 and give them tools individualized to
their needs to stay physically fit.
Furthermore, physical changes that occur with treatment,
along with misunderstanding from peers, can make an
already stressful time of life unbearable. TLC aims to
improve the quality of life for all those impacted by
adolescent cancer, family and friends included. Support
groups provided by TLC allow teens to be surrounded with
other teens that understand what they are going through.3
Figure 1. Parents were asked to rate the following statement on a 5-point scale (see Table 1): “I
found the meeting with the pharmacy students useful/informative” (% of parents, n=7)
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teenagers afflicted by cancer at a support group meeting.
Reference cards were provided that detailed the late effects of
various chemotherapy agents outlined by pharmacologic class,
risk factors in developing the late effects, and what to periodically
evaluate in monitoring for these late effects.
Information for the reference cards was largely obtained from
Children’s Oncology Group (COG) guidelines that included the
AYA population.3
Parents were given the opportunity to ask questions and voice
any concerns.
At the conclusion of the meeting, parents were asked to
complete surveys to identify the impact and benefit of the
information provided.
Survey questions included five-point Likert scale questions and
open-ended questions
Table 1. Parents responses to questions pertaining to the Likert type survey questions. n=7
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2= Disagree; 3= Somewhat Agree; 4= Agree; 5= Strongly Agree
Survey Question
I found the meeting with the pharmacy students
useful/informative
I found the reference cards useful/informative
The students were able to address issues regarding
my teens chemotherapy and their future health
I felt confident in the information provided by the
students
I will discuss this information with my teen
I would participate in a discussion group with
students like this again
Mean
4.57
4.86
4.57
% of
parents
who
agree
100%
100%
100%
14.3
42.9
57.1
4.29
4.86
100%
85.7%
100%
Agree
Agree
Strongly Agree
85.7
Strongly Agree
Conclusions and Implications
• The student led discussion was successfully
Table 2. Parent answers from open-ended questions
What was liked most about the discussion with the pharmacy students:
administered to 7 parents all of whom had a
teenager or young adult survivor of cancer or
currently undergoing treatment.
“The fact that I was able to ask questions and get
informative answers”
• 5 students from service learning course, PHAR
“The enthusiasm and meticulousness of all of them”
5526: Introduction to Cancer Biology and
Treatment participated in the discussion
What was liked most about the reference cards:
• All of the parents “agreed” or “strongly agreed”
“Clean lists” and “Very detailed”
with the survey
“Helps me figure out later effects”
• One parent disagreed with discussing the
“Having something to take home and share with my child”
• Future directions would be to set up a similar
information with their teenager
discussion with the teens and young adult
fighters/survivors of cancer
What could be improved on:
“Less clinical abbreviations”
References
“Shorten talk”
4.71
Figure 2. Parents were asked to rate the following statement on a 5-point
scale (see Table 1): “I would participate in a discussion group like this again”
(% of parents, n=7)
Additional comments:
“Consider presenting the risk factors/late effects directly
to the teens and young adults”
“Very informational”
1.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Minimal Improvement in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer
Patients Survival Rate. (http://www.nccn.org/about/news/newsinfo.asp?NewsID=246) Accessed 11 Nov 2012.
2.
Melissa’s Living Legacy Teen Cancer Foundation. http://www.melissaslivinglegacy.org/about/index.html. Accessed
11 Nov 2012.
3.
Children’s Oncology Group. Long-term follow-up guidelines for survivors of childhood, adolescent and young adult
cancers, Version 3.0. Arcadia, CA: Children's Oncology Group; October 2008; Available on-line:
www.survivorshipguidelines.org.
Acknowledgment & Disclosure
The authors would like to thank Lauren Spiker and Leah Shearer from TLC for their guidance
and support during this process.
Both authors of this presentation have nothing to disclose concerning possible financial or
personal relationships with commercial entities that may have a direct or indirect interest in the
subject matter of this presentation