Childhood cancer, humanization as medicine

Granada, (EFE).- Hospitals in Andalusia that take care of minors with cancer repeat a childhood cancer day every day to raise awareness of the disease through care that focuses on humanization.

This is the case of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada, whose pediatric service has an oncohematological hospitalization center where health professionals treat and care for children who are diagnosed with various types of tumors typical of childhood.

In this space, located on the top floor of the Mother and Child Hospital, minors from the countryside and neighboring areas receive the most modern treatment, but also a lot of love, warmth and closeness and always with a commitment to normality, to make day by day yes be as similar as possible to what they would have at home, with their families and with their friends.

1,400 new cases of childhood cancer per year

This is carried out by a team of oncologists, nurses, nursing assistant technicians, caretakers and a teacher who teaches school hours in a classroom to the care unit as detailed by the Board.

This work is enriched with the participation of families, associations and various social groups that provide activities, toys and many details for these minors who usually have a long stay in hospital.

Every year in Spain, 1,400 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed, among which leukemia is the most common, followed by that of the central nervous system and lymphomas.

Raising awareness of these diseases is another line of work highlighted in red during September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

It is a global initiative to give visibility to the disease and bring the reality of these minors and their families closer to the whole society, although this hospital in Granada works every day to raise awareness by humanizing care.

A very advanced humanization plan

The head of nursing, Remedios Lazaro, recently honored with the “Optimistic Professional” award, pointed out that the pediatric service “has a very advanced humanization plan, which boils down to bringing to the hospital what is happening outside so that the minor lives hospital stay as normal as possible”.

“If it’s Corpus Christi, the plant is decorated with fair occasions, if it’s Christmas, gifts are given, and so on other dates like Spring Festival, Cross or Halloween,” he gave an example.

Although the outbreak of covid changed everything, closed the doors of hospitals for volunteering, activities such as dog therapy, a humanization project in collaboration with the Spanish Cancer Association and the training company Hachiko, returning to work the most and reducing the anxiety generated through hospital processes in the most vulnerable.

In oncopediatrics, there is also a time for whims, and like everyone else, these little patients enjoy something as tasty as ice cream.

Magic or musical shows

The environment is warm, with very careful decoration and a corridor long enough to reach speed with a tricycle adapted to carry the medicines and a high-end automatic trolley.

Pediatric Nursing Unit Leader, Aida Galindo, points out that with this humanized attention, pediatric oncology children are also meant to share activities with those on other pediatric floors, if the clinical situation permits and they go out on the landing, to enjoy magic or musical performances.

With this normalization of attendance, not everything will be played, it is also necessary to go to school, for which they have an exceptional school classroom, in which the “teacher” Antonio leads regulated classes, so that the patient-student does not miss a rhythm of his education.

The Granada hospital has had a pediatric home care unit for three years, allowing more than twenty minors with cancer to receive chemotherapy at home, all in the line of humanizing care. EFE

Web Editing: Luis Ortega