The BARF Project: A Pilot Study Using the BARF Scale to Assess CINV in Children

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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In this pilot study, the Baxter Retching Faces (BARF) Scale will be used to assess chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in the pediatric cancer population during chemotherapy admissions, and the corresponding administration of anti-emetic medications will be reviewed.

Official Title
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The BARF Project: A Pilot Study Using the BARF Scale to Assess CINV in Children

Conditions
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Nausea

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Baxter Retching Faces (BARF) scale


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Patients diagnosed with cancer of any kind. Patients receiving inpatient chemotherapy at SLCH on the general pediatric oncology service Patients admitted for a course of inpatient chemotherapy scheduled to last at least 24 hours and but no more than 7 days. Patients who have received any prior cancer treatment, including radiation therapy, and/or surgery. Patients ages 4 to 12 years of age. Patient with a guardian who has the ability to understand English and the willingness to sign an IRB approved written informed consent document. Exclusion Criteria: Any patient who is not undergoing inpatient chemotherapy on the general pediatric oncology service, including patients undergoing chemotherapy as conditioning for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or other cellular therapy. Any patient who is receiving their first cycle of inpatient chemotherapy (however, they can be included during a future cycle). Any patient who is blind or unable to communicate by speaking or pointing.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 4 Years
Maximum Age: 12 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: BARF scale<br>Nursing staff (which may include patient technicians and nursing assistants) will use the scale to assess the patient's nausea for the entire duration of the admission. These assessments will take place in conjunction with vital sign monitoring, every 4 hours. The associated script will be read while the laminated scale is shown to the patient. The nurse will then log the patient's response in the patient's electronic medical record | Behavioral: Baxter Retching Faces (BARF) scale<br>* Pictorial scale that was developed for use by pediatric patients in self-reported assessments of nausea severity A patient will respond by choosing a picture or a number on the scale that best represents how they feel. The patient may speak or simply point to their response. While the numbers 0-2-4-6-8-10 are listed alongside the pictures, patients are also allowed to choose in between or odd numbers. If a patient is unwilling to participate, the patient's parent or guardian may serve as their proxy and choose a number for them, based off of their symptoms. The BARF scale has 6 faces with assigned scores ranging from 0 to 10 with a score difference of 2 between each face (a higher score indicates more nausea).<br>|
| No Intervention: No intervention<br>-Patients in the control group will proceed with their inpatient chemotherapy admissions without any interventions. These admissions will take place prior to the admissions of the experimental group, so as not to bias providers. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Doses of anti-emetic medication administered during inpatient chemotherapy admissions |  | 24 hours - 7 days (estimated) |