ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTERAPY IN CHILDREN: ACCOMPANYINGS’KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the knowledge of children accompanying ones about adverse effects ofchemotherapy. This descriptive study evaluated the knowledge of twenty-five children accompanying ones aboutchemotherapy in children submitted to this procedure. Forms had been applied in an informal interview between July andAugust of 2005 in a University Hospital in Recife-PE. Three interviewees told that they had some information in thebeginning of the treatment while others affirmed not to have the necessary information about it. Interviewees related thefollowing adverse effects: fatigue, anorexy, nausea, loss of weight, pain and alopecia. In spite of the majority of the storiespointed the main adverse effects of the therapy, to develop an explaining pamphlet about chemotherapy was a goodstrategy to give right information.

Keywords

• Child
• Drug therapy
• Nursing
• Health education
• Learning