Background: Our knowledge about the attitudes of healthcare staff to palliative care
in pediatric oncology is scarce. We aimed to assess their perceptions of palliative
care in Hungary and find answers to the question of how to provide good palliative
care for children. Method: Physicians (n = 30) and nurses (n = 43) working in the
field of pediatric oncology (12 of them specialized in hospice care) were interviewed.
Palliative care practice (communication, integration of palliative care, professionals’
feelings and attitudes, and opportunities for improvement) was assessed by semi-structured
interviews evaluated in a mixed quantitative and qualitative way by narrative categorical
content analysis and thematic analysis. Results: All providers displayed high negative
emotions, positive evaluations, and used many active verbs. Nurses showed higher levels
of denial, more self-references, and were more likely to highlight loss. Physicians
emphasized the importance of communication regarding adequate or inadequate palliative
care. Hospice specialists showed a higher passive verb rate, a lower self-reference,
a lower need for psychological support, and a greater emphasis on teamwork and professional
aspects. Conclusion: Our results show that nurses are more emotionally stressed than
doctors in palliative care in pediatric oncology. To our knowledge, a study comparing
doctors and nurses in this field has yet to be carried out. Our results suggest that
pediatric oncological staff can positively evaluate a child’s palliative care despite
the emotional strain. Regarding hospices, professional practice in palliative care
may be a protective factor in reducing emotional distress and achieving professional
well-being.
