Pediatric Oncology in Switzerland: Parent and Patient Experiences

This article explores the satisfaction of parents and patients with cancer treatment in Swiss medical facilities. It also examines the challenges that patients face during cancer treatment and pediatric oncology in Switzerland as a whole.

Short interviews were conducted with 19 parents and 17 children who had been diagnosed with cancer and had received treatment in Switzerland. These interviews asked questions related to communication and decision-making at the time of diagnosis and throughout the course of the illness. In this article, we analyzed these interviews using thematic coding to identify themes related to satisfaction with treatment.

Overall, participants reported being very satisfied with the care they received. Aspects that contributed to satisfaction included:

• The friendliness and responsiveness of the medical staff
• Thoughtfulness in communication
• Professionals going above and beyond their duties to care for the patient's family

Despite being mostly satisfied with the care they received, participants noted a number of issues that caused some challenges. These included:

• Frequent changes in doctors or receiving care from other departments, which represented a lack of continuity for them
• Language barriers
• Issues with the child's reproductive health

In addition, patients offered several suggestions for improving hospitalization and patient satisfaction.

Participants reported being very satisfied with the medical care provided by pediatric oncology departments. However, they also identified challenges that need to be addressed in order to effectively meet the needs of patients and their families going through this difficult experience. Further research is needed to explore how to further improve care for children with cancer and their families.