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Neuropsychology reports for childhood brain tumor survivors: Implementation of recommendations at home and school
Author(s) -
Cheung Lorraine L.T.,
Wakefield Claire E.,
Ellis Sarah J.,
Mandalis Anna,
Frow Eleanor,
Cohn Richard J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.24940
Subject(s) - neuropsychology , clinical neuropsychology , medicine , qualitative research , cognition , clinical psychology , psychology , neuropsychological assessment , medical education , psychiatry , social science , sociology
Background As pediatric brain tumor survivors may experience cognitive decline post‐treatment, a neuropsychology assessment is often conducted. The assessment evaluates the child's cognitive functioning and highlights potential challenges. Whilst neuropsychology reports provide recommendations for the home and school, how this translates in practice is under researched. This study explored parent and teacher understanding of neuropsychology reports, implementation rates for recommendations and their perceived effectiveness. Barriers to implementation were also investigated. Procedure Twenty‐five semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 17 parents and 8 teachers of childhood brain tumor survivors from 15 Australian families who had received a neuropsychology report within 2 years of the interview. Twenty‐four neuropsychology reports encompassing 131 recommendations were reviewed. The qualitative methodological framework of Miles and Huberman [Miles M, Huberman A. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. London: Sage; 1994] was used to analyze interview transcripts with QSR NVivo 9.0 . Results The majority of parents and teachers had a sound understanding of the report. Implementation of recommendations at home and school was 47% and 41%, respectively. Recommendations that did not require extra effort and organization appeared more likely to be implemented, however, those perceived to be more effective or helpful did not necessarily have higher implementation rates. Key reported barriers to implementation barrier were patient reluctance, and a lack of parents' willingness to adopt the recommendation. Conclusions Patient understanding and willingness play a significant role in the implementation of neuropsychology recommendations. Collaboration and clear communication between the patient, teacher, parent, and neuropsychologist is vital for effective management. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:1080–1087. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.