A Delphi Study of Pediatric Oncology Nurses' Facilitative Behaviors

Abstract

Using a classic Delphi methodology, this study identified the nursing behaviors and interventions that oncology nurses rated as most important in facilitating the patient's, parents', and siblings' coping efforts with the effects of disease and treatment. Random selection of 300 pediatric oncology nurses resulted in a final sample of 69 nurses who completed all 3 rounds of the Delphi. The majority of the nurses were younger than 35 years of age, had less than 10 years of experience, were educated with at least a bachelor's degree, and practiced in an all-oncology setting. Twenty-eight facilitative behaviors were identified for the child with cancer, 25 for the parents, and 25 for the siblings. Results of this study support previous research on patient, parent, and sibling coping.