Strategies for Stress Management among Paediatric Nurses in Oncology/Haematology Settings: A Systematic Review

Background: Paediatric oncology nurses are at risk of workplace stress. Previous systematic reviews have assessed interventions to manage general nurses stress levels, but no systematic review has been conducted on strategies for stress management among paediatric oncology nurses.

Aim: This study aims to Systematically review the methods used for stress management among pediatric oncology nurses.

Methods: A search was conducted in two academic health sciences databases (PubMed and Google scholar) and also Science-direct Journal article List. Methodological features were described using the PRISMA Statement checklists. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) critical appraisal tools were used for quality evaluation. And Inductive content analysis for synthesizing data.

Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for scientific rigour. The commonest research design was the quasi-experimental design. The contents and methods of the stress management approach varied across studies. It included: On-the-job mindfulness-based interventions, self-care retreat, Pediatric narrative oncology interprofessional training to: promote empathy, build teams, and prevent burnout; Wellness Program to support spiritual well-being. Others included: Peer-supported storytelling and moral distress control which was provided by an ethics consultation team. These stress reduction strategies identified were categorised into: (i) Personnel Support interventions (11 studies) and (ii) team support interventions (7 studies). Issues identified include scarcity of randomized controlled trials and scarcity of investigations to reduce oncology nurses’ stress.

Conclusions: The evidence showed a relevant reduction in stress levels from the Personnel Support interventions and team support interventions. Large-scale, well-designed randomized controlled trials on stress interventions among oncology nurses are strongly advised. This finding could also result in more proactive stress management policies in oncology health care settings.