ON THE WARD PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE IN THE PED IATRIC ONCOLOGY - A CONCEPTOF TREATMENT-ACCOMPANIED PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE

Concepts for counseling and long term support have been the major inte rest in the psychosocial care of pediatric oncology patients and their families. Similar methods for psychosocial care on the ward are still rare. This paper presents the psychological care of the oncology pati ents during their stay on the ward, complimentary to the medical treat ment. The concept is based on the proces of coping with the phases and specific situations (L.P.; B.M.A.; diagnosis; medication ect.) of the cancer therapy. This process contains on the part of the patients and their parents the need for information, active involvement in treatme nt regimes and relaxation (before, during and after the stressfull sit uation). The concepts of informed consent, adherence and recovery-coun seling are related to the coping methods of the patients and their par ents. The aims of our concept are to create and utilize diagnostic tes ts and psychological methods to enable the families to help themselves . To reach this goal, the technique of semantic and pragmatic informat ion is very important because this kind of social communication helps us to make the medical implications of the treatment understandable an d suitable for the patients and families.