2018 Volume 55 Issue 2 Pages 182-186
Many hospitals that treat pediatric cancer have self-help groups for parents of pediatric cancer patients (parents’ groups). Although such groups are independent from medical professionals and are a useful source of reassurance for patients’ parents, some hospitals that treat pediatric cancer do not have parents’ groups. One of the reasons for this is that there are no volunteers at these institutions that want to launch and manage a parents’ group. We successfully launched a parents’ group initiated by doctors. The group leaders were directly chosen by the doctors, and the details of the purpose of the parents’ group were decided in a preparatory meeting. The first meeting of the parents’ group was held 3 months after the initial proposal. Although doctors launched the parents’ group, medical professionals do not participate in it. To ensure that the group’s activities continue, it will be important to keep the same venue, inform relevant families about the group, and encourage medical professionals to support the group. The launch of the parents’ group has led to the development of smooth relationships between the patients’ parents and the medical staff. Therefore, the parents’ group not only functions as a peer-support organization, but also helps in forming bonds between patients’ parents and medical professionals. This approach could be used as a model by hospitals that would like to launch parents’ groups.
