Laura Darcy

Docent Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare
— Department of Caring Science

Telephone: 033-435 4717

Room number: D705

Signature: LDY

I defended my Phd dissertation in June 2015. As more children survive their cancer, knowledge of their experiences of living an everyday life with cancer, becomes an important aspect in providing qualified care.

For my doctoral thesis, thirteen young children with cancer have been followed for a three year period and have provided information on their everyday lives, at six different time-points. Semi-structured interviews based on the ICF-CY structure and health related questionnaires have yielded a wealth of information previously unidentified in the literature. The young child’s needs change over time, from the initial trauma of start of treatment to an active striving to on the part of the child to regain control. However feelings of loneliness and isolation prevail. The nurses roll in assisting the child live an everyday life, through the cancer trajectory, is central. Unique to this study are the facts that the young child’s perspective is in focus and that data is gathered longitudinally. Identified ICF-CY codes lend an international language and multi-disciplinary tool for use in caring for young children with cancer.

(Paediatric Nurse, BA Early Childhood Studies, Master of Public Health, CHILD research group)

Assignments

International Coordinator for the Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare
Erasmus contact person for Europe
Member of the Board of Education
Program Lead for Paediatric nurse specialist programme