PURPOSE: A dramatic improvement in outcomes of survival rates of childhood cancer has been seen. Caring science research is central in providing skills and knowledge to the health care sector, but few overviews of the content of published research have been carried out. The aim of this review was to investigate the content and methodology of published studies in paediatric oncology relevant to caring science, and also to compare possible differences in content and method of the published studies from the nursing and psychosocial perspectives.

METHOD: A systematic literature review was performed of 137 published articles on paediatric oncology relevant to caring science in Sweden.

RESULTS: The results show that most of the studies were descriptive or comparative ones with a quantitative design. Most of them focused on parents (43%) or children (28%). Most of the studies investigated wellbeing (88%), using questionnaires (54%) or interviews (38%). Several different measurement instruments had been used. While the results were often clearly presented, the clinical implications were more diffuse. The most acknowledged research fund was the Swedish Childhood Foundation (75%).

CONCLUSIONS: To reflect the children' perspectives in paediatric oncology require that future researchers take on the challenge of including children (even young ones) in research. The use of a limited number of agreed measurement instruments is desirable. The biggest challenge for the future is to make a shift from explorative to intervention studies. There is an urgent need to transform research results into clinical practice.

The purpose of this manuscript is to analyze researchers' suggestions for clinical implications of their findings as stated in recent published articles on nursing and psychosocial research within the setting of Swedish pediatric oncology. Identified categories included staff awareness of the effects of child illness on families; systems for care improvement; provision of quality of care, education and support; and empowerment of children and families. In order to be able to realize these clinical suggestions, expanded research is needed as well as continued education and support for staff.

The body of research-based knowledge in paediatric caring science has been increasing leading to dramaticimprovements in treatment. The purpose of this manuscript was to analyze results as stated by the researchers', inrecently published articles on nursing and psychosocial research, within Swedish pediatric oncology setting. Thiswas done through a review of 137 published articles about paediatric oncology related to caring science in Sweden.The result shows that the illness has affected, in both positive and negative ways, the wellbeing of everyone cominginto contact with the child. The cancer also causes distress related to all aspects of life including physical,psychological, existential and social. Mediating factors for the experience of distress and wellbeing are: disease andtreatment severity, age, gender and ethnicity of the participant, time since diagnosis, the use of internal and externalsupport, and the identity of the person reporting the data. Health promoting aspects frequently reported are: familytogetherness, coping strategies, engaging in normal life and activities, and quality of care which includes emotionalsupport, information and family participation in care. The hospital staff has to be aware of the psychosocial issuesexperienced by children with cancer and their families, and they have to acknowledge the value of formalinterventions, reporting benefits for children, families, and themselves.

Background: Providing qualified, evidence-based healthcare to children requires increased knowledge of how cancer affects the young child's life. There is a dearth of research focusing on the young child's experience of everyday life.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore young children's and their parents' perceptions of how cancer affects the child's health and everyday life shortly after diagnosis.

Methods: Thirteen children with newly diagnosed cancer aged 1 to 6 years and their parents, connected to a pediatric oncology unit in Southern Sweden, participated in this study through semistructured interviews. Child and parent data were analyzed as a family unit, using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Everyday life was spent at hospital or at home waiting to go back to hospital. Analysis led to the following categories: feeling like a stranger, feeling powerless, and feeling isolated.

Conclusions: The child wants to be seen as a competent individual requiring information and participation in care. Parents need to be a safe haven for their child and not feel forced to legitimize painful and traumatic procedures by assisting with them. Nurses play a major role in the lives of children. Research with and on the young child is necessary and a way of making them visible and promoting their health and well-being.

Implications for practice: Nurses need to reevaluate the newly diagnosed child's care routines so as to shift focus from the illness to the child. This requires competent nurses, secure in their caring role.