Early Diagnosis: Give Cure a Chance

“NAP” – Patient Support Research Core

The Children's Cancer Institute aims to decrease the mortality numbers and give full monitoring for the patient in treatment and after hospital discharge. Given that, once being considered an ICI patient, the patient and family will continue to be associated with the institution. Thinking about the policy of ICI the managing team realizes the need for consolidation of the Patient Service Center.  The core, consisting of dentistry care, nutrition, health care, psychological and pedagogical, offers psychosocial assistance calls. This due to a full and humanized look for the patient needs. This work is developed in partnership with Porto Alegre clinical hospital. The ICI has also develop a partnership with the  “Conceição GHC” Hospital in pediatric inpatient units.

SocialService

Aims to identify the family needs, knowing the cultural, and socio-economic situation of family and patient, to then identify potential social problems that can affect the patient's treatment and to the overall recovery of these children and adolescents. Through the visits by our social workers, it is possible to identify the aid necessary as patient and family. The Family Assistance core is responsible for receiving and sorting donations that arrive in ICI-RS. This core is also responsible for meeting and distributing food baskets and clothing for the patients and their families, according to social workers forwarding. Families who are attended receive clothes every 3 months and a monthly food basket.

Pedagogical Support Program

The educational activities are carried out in accordance with the possibilities of each student, prepared in accordance with the age and educational level. Students who are unable to attend classes because they are far from there city have through the educational professionals of ICI the possibility of tutoring and school support, and even if necessary the application of contents developed at their school. Patients do not need interrupting their studies due to cancer treatment.

Psychology

The main purpose of counseling in ICI-RS is through the monitoring of mental health for the promotion of life quality in cancer patients. Autonomy, well-being, reality check, psychological preparation for trauma and grief, are just some of the assumptions worked in psychotherapy, so that patients can be faced with the difficulties and the problems experienced during the diagnostic process in cancer treatment. The sessions take place in order to assist patients and families with issues surrounding the early diagnosis or not, which the treatment can be chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and maintenance. The counseling adds to the treatment the possibility of better understanding of clinical procedures, often invasive,  that interfere with the subject's,  and family daily life, as well as in the perception of his body image, which it´s an  important process for emotional balance and high esteem in patients. .

Nutrition

Good nutrition is essential for cancer treatment because it helps the patient to feel better, maintain a healthy weigh to go through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery or a combination of these therapies in the best possible way. All cancer treatment methods are to eliminate cancer cells, but these can also end up affecting some healthy cells. The methods for cancer treatment are (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and marrow transplant) and these are often traumatic and aggressive, although the goal of these treatments are for cancer cells within the body, sometimes normal and healthy cell, are effective producing side effects that cause eating problems, such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation, edema, swelling, mucositis, sore mouth and throat. Therefore in every situation it is possible to control these effects by specific nutritional guidelines.   Patients who are not admitted in Porto Alegre Hospital de Clínicas, as those who are in ambulatory attendance receive orientation, assessment, and nutritional counseling.

 In the support house, the cook is supervised as for hygiene, food preparation, also as refrigeration temperature control, stock and food validity control, in addition to preparing the weekly menu.

Dental

Odontology prevents and treats the development of oral infections and controls the severity of oral abnormalities that could lead to interruption of the cancer treatment. This is done through the preparation and adaptation of patients before antineoplastic therapy, as well as support for applications and compensation for damage in the post treatment. The dental surgery office of ICI-RS attends to all children, adolescents and young people who are or who have been treated for cancer at the Pediatric Oncology Unit of Porto Alegre Clinical Hospital (HCPA). All children who are attended are registered and remain in maintenance of dental treatment indefinitely. This service is intended for the adequacy of dental procedures for patients attended who will have better oral health before, during and after cancer treatment. The volunteer odontology group, perform guidance for patients and their families who are aware of the importance of a good teeth brushing and necessary dental care, because of cancer treatment.

Recreation The core operates in the Support Center, Home Support, Chemotherapy, Sunday Recreation and holidays in Pediatric Oncology. Through music, visual and dramatic activities which stimulate the taste for the arts, creativity, reasoning and dexterity, provide children and adolescents moments of recreation, leisure, integration, socialization, entertainment and wellness. A total of 98 volunteers, divided by day shifts perform activities with patients according to their age and interests. A business plan is created which include external rides along with the team of volunteers and partners. Especially in this core, corporate employees participate as volunteers in various working areas directly with children and adolescents.