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Objective: Surgery for paediatric cancer presents many stresses on patients and families. The authors aimed to understand the long-term impact of childhood cancer surgery on survivors and parents., Methods: The study recruited participants from 11 Australia/New Zealand hospitals for telephone interviews. The authors used descriptive statistics to analyse participants' quantitative distress ratings and conducted thematic analysis of shared surgical experiences and needs., Results: Of 32 participants (n = 17 survivors, n = 15 parents), survivors' mean age at surgery was 6.9 (SD = 5.17) and parents' children were 2.1 years old (SD = 1.41) at time of surgery. Survivors had surgery on average 15.2 years ago (SD = 6.72) and parents' children 11.5 years ago (SD = 3.94). Parents and survivors rated surgery as highly distressing. Pre-operatively, survivors recalled experiencing fear and pain mainly associated with pre-operative procedures. Post-operatively, survivors reported immobility and some lasting behavioural disturbances. Parents described pre- and intra-operative anxiety and stress and some lasting post-operative psychological disturbances. Experiences appeared to improve with clear/consistent communication from hospital staff, proximity to hospital, and with support for parents and children post-operatively., Conclusions: Surgical treatment for childhood cancer can have a lasting impact for survivors and parents. Better information provision may improve families' surgical experience whilst reducing anxiety, distress and physical discomfort., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Surgery in children can be difficult for patients and parents. We aimed to summarize pediatric patients' and parents' psychosocial experiences and needs in surgery., Method: We used the Ovid search engine and screened 877 abstracts across three databases to extract data on pediatric patients' and parents' surgical experiences., Results: Our search yielded 11 eligible studies representing 1,307 children undergoing surgery and their parents. Children's adverse experiences included psychological and behavioral changes before, during, and after surgery (e.g., anxiety, eating disturbances). Parents commonly experienced psychological distress. Children's needs related to medical and health care services, whereas parents had high information needs., Discussion: Children's adverse experiences can negatively affect medical outcomes. Children's experiences are inextricably linked to their parents' and can become negatively affected by their parents' adverse experiences. Patients and parents with previous hospitalizations and surgeries had worse surgical experiences, highlighting further research in the context of chronic illness., (Copyright © 2017 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)