Translating Psychosocial Research Findings Into Practice Guidelines

Abstract

Evidence-based practice guidelines are increasingly used by healthcare professionals to guide patient care and effect positive patient outcomes. These guidelines are usually based on laboratory-based parameters and lack the psychosocial dimensions of patient care. The authors describe the process used by a hospital-based interdisciplinary team to successfully develop evidence-based psychosocial guidelines designed to foster hopefulness in pediatric patients with cancer, their families, and their healthcare providers. From these guidelines, 4 clinical care projects were developed and are described in this article.