Background: Infections are significant causes of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients, but little is known about the adherence by the paediatric cancer patients to preventive anti-infective interventions.
Methods: A voluntary and anonymised questionnaire was distributed to all patients, completing intensive anticancer therapy. Compliance was analysed by using a panel of eight commonly recommended preventive interventions and semi-quantitative scoring of adherence by the patient and/or its caretaker. Satisfaction with information and belief in the efficacy of the interventions were similarly assessed. Relationships of these factors to compliance were explored by using an overall compliance score and non-parametric correlation and/or ANOVA and logistic regression, respectively.
Results: In 216 children and adolescents (mean age: 8 years; 94 girls) included in the study, compliance rates were the highest for food restriction (89.3%), the use of topic antimycotics (88.2%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (86.6%), and the lowest for the use of face masks (68.8%), antiseptic mouth rinses (67.1%), non-absorbable antibiotic agents (66.5%) and restrictions in social contacts (65.5%). The most frequent reasons for drug non-compliance were forgetfulness and patient refusal. Compliance correlated with haematological malignancy, younger age and belief in its efficacy, but not with the perceived degree of information, burden of interventions and overall satisfaction with quality of information and medical care.
Conclusion: Compliance to recommended anti-infective prophylactic interventions was variable and correlated with haematological malignancy, younger age and belief in efficacy.