Kontakt 2010, 12(1):67-73 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2010.008

Quality of life and free time activities of children after bone marrow transplantationHealth and Social Sciences

Denisa Schwetzová^1,*, Věra Vránová²

¹ Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Fakulta zdravotnických věd, Ústav ošetřovatelství, Olomouc, Česká republika

² Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Fakulta zdravotnických věd, Ústav porodní asistence, Olomouc, Česká republika

In developed countries including the Czech Republic, tumours are the second most frequent cause of death in children. Advances achieved in the treatment of tumour diseases in children are very dramatic and belong to the greatest achievements of medicine. The bone marrow transplantation belongs to the most modern treatment methods and is employed not only in the treatment of haematological malignant conditions but also in the treatment of solid tumours. The first target of our contribution is a brief specification of the problems of the quality of life. We offer different definitions of the quality of life by different authors and point out that this phenomenon concerns a number of scientific disciplines and thus, its delimitation by a definition is very difficult. The second target was to acquaint the expert public with the transplantation of haemopoietic cells and to offer an outline of particular types of transplantations and stages of the transplantation therapy. The third target, which is not of inferior importance, is to show a re-socialization programme for children and their families within the South-Moravian Region who experienced the oncologic therapy. The Endowment Fund of Paediatric Oncology Krtek attempts to provide this help. The activity of the fund Krtek is focused on supporting complex care for oncologic paediatric patients, who experienced the oncologic treatment at the Department of Paediatric Oncology, Faculty Hospital in Brno. Establishing of the community of oncologic patients and subsequent opening of this collective to external contacts provides the children with a possibility of a stepwise return to their original environment. Domestic as well as foreign camps, relaxation programmes and weekend actions implemented by the endowment fund Krtek are immediately associated with following and measuring the quality of life and taking advantage of free time. The possibility of shared experiences, joy and sorrow associated with the oncologic diagnosis is inestimable and offers the parents with opportunity for the mutual support and establishment of closer relationships. We also choose this theme to point out the fact that the malignant disease enormously hits the life of the whole family and child surroundings and means a definite change in the still existing scale of values. The whole contribution conclusively shows that the task of healthcare professionals is to provide the necessary education and to be able to grant the children and their parents necessary advice and help and answer their questions.

Keywords: quality of life; transplantation of bone marrow and haemopoietic cells; free time; Endowment Fund of Paediatric Oncology Krtek; HRQoL

Published: March 31, 2010  Show citation