The experience of family members of children and adolescents with cancer in its initial stage: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Review question/objective This study intends to understand the experiences of family members when learning that a child or adolescent in their family has been diagnosed with cancer. This study integrated the research findings of relevant existing studies to provide empirical evidence-based suggestions on clinical care. The review question is: What are the experiences of family members when learning that a child or adolescent in their family has been diagnosed with cancer?   Inclusion criteria Types of participants The participants of interest include the family of a child with cancer who use their voice to describe the whole experience and/or report the impact it has had on their lives. In this systematic review, there will be no restriction on the type, severity and prognosis of cancer. Studies investigating the experiences of the family of a child with cancer using the voices and opinions of others external to the family (e.g. nurses) will be excluded from the review. Phenomena of interest The phenomena of interest will be the self-reported experience of family members of children with cancer, or the impact on the whole family of the child with cancer. Research on other phenomena such as experience of a social support intervention for the family or bereavement experience of children with cancer will also be excluded from the review. The settings included acute care, home and community settings of any cultural context.