Strategies Impacting Psychosocial Needs of Pediatric Patients and Families Undergoing Radiation Therapy: A Rapid Systematic Review

Worldwide disparities in cure rates of pediatric cancer underscore the importance of comprehensive services. Treating cancer in pediatric patients requires effective interventions to address the psychosocial needs of patients and their families during radiation therapy. Access to these interventions and developing them to fit certain populations’ needs is essential for improving patient outcomes. This rapid systematic review highlights components of the 10 Essential Public Health Services, such as enabling equitable access and improving and innovating through evaluation, research, and quality improvement, by examining interventions to mitigate psychosocial burdens. The rapid review was conducted from September 2023 to October 2023 on PubMed and Scopus. Inclusion criteria focused on pediatric patients undergoing radiation therapy, interventions addressing psychosocial needs, and English-language publications. Of the 1827 articles screened, 8 met inclusion criteria. Three studies addressed patient outcomes, 3 addressed parental outcomes, and 2 involved both patients and parents. Interventions included age-adjusted preparatory information, virtual reality exposure, and customized movie-making programs. Overall, interventions that were multifaceted and customized for a specific child showed successful quantitative results in anxiety levels and successful qualitative results in family satisfaction ratings. Effective characteristics included tailoring to individual needs, involving multiple components, and stimulating meaningful conversations. Reducing the need for general anesthesia through psychosocial interventions emerged as a critical consideration for improving patient outcomes. Important to note are the lack of studies examining these types of interventions for this population, and the importance of future research to include long-term follow-up and general anesthesia usage as an outcome measure. As a former pediatric patient receiving radiation therapy, I can attest to how psychosocial interventions are integral to comprehensive care and have the power to create a significant difference in this public health issue