Home or Away From Home – Descriptive Interviews (Aim 2)

Treatment for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) involves intensive chemotherapy regimens that result in periods of profound neutropenia leaving patients susceptible to severe infectious complications. There are little clinical data to inform whether management of neutropenia post AML chemotherapy should occur in an outpatient or inpatient setting. Further, no studies have been conducted that assess the impact of neutropenia management strategy on the quality of life of pediatric patients with AML. Given that infectious complications are the leading cause of treatment related mortality among AML patients, it is important to identify the neutropenia management strategy that will lead to the best clinician- and patient- identified outcomes in order to improve the care of these patients.

This is a qualitative interview study where interviews of patients and/or caregivers will be performed. Participants will be patients less than 19 years of age at diagnosis (and their caregivers) receiving or having received chemotherapy for AML from eleven participating pediatric hospitals across the United States. Participants (children and caregivers) will be interviewed in an effort to develop a survey that captures patient- and caregiver- identified outcomes related to neutropenia management.