Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Child Health Nursing Research31 Oct 2026

Pediatric oncology nurses’ experiences with trauma-informed care in South Korea: a qualitative study

Kyung-Sook Bang¹
Yeseul Jeong²
Ji-Hye Choe³
Sinyoung Choi⁴

4 affiliations

¹Professor, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
²Assistant Professor, Research Institute of Nursing Science, College of Nursing, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea
³Ph.D. Candidate, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
⁴Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for World-leading Human-care Nurse Leaders for the Future by Brain Korea 21 (BK 21) Four Project, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose: Trauma-informed care (TIC) provides a framework for recognizing and responding to trauma in healthcare settings. However, little is known about how pediatric oncology nurses in South Korea understand and practice TIC, which has not yet been systematically implemented in pediatric oncology wards. This study explored pediatric oncology nurses’ perceptions and experiences of TIC through individual in-depth interviews.

Methods: This descriptive qualitative study used purposive sampling. Eight female nurses from tertiary hospitals in the capital region, each with at least 1 year of experience caring for children with cancer, participated in individual in-depth interviews. Data were collected from January to March 2024 and analyzed using thematic analysis guided by the conceptual framework of trauma-informed nursing care.

Results: Four major themes emerged: (1) trauma-uninformed care emerging within constrained environments, (2) emergent trauma-informed strategies aligned with core principles, (3) emotional burdens and tensions endured under structural constraints, and (4) bearing fruit of the partial enactment of TIC through mutual trust building.

Conclusion: Despite structural limitations, pediatric oncology nurses recognized the presence and effects of trauma and implemented informal trauma-informed practices. System-level adoption of TIC, including universal trauma precautions, screening protocols, and staff-support systems, is needed to provide TIC for both patients and healthcare professionals.

Sustaining Compassionate Care in Pediatric and Neonatal Palliative Care: A Qualitative Meta‐Synthesis of Nurses’ Experiences Amid Uncertainty and Loss
Yuan Li, Shiqi Luo, Xia Li +3
Journal of Nursing Management1 Nov 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textEpidemiology & public healthPMC
Nurses Lived Experiences of Caring for Patients During the 2022 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Uganda: A Qualitative Study
G. Mushabe, P. Muwanguzi, S. J. Nalubega +3
medRxiv25 Aug 2026PreprintAll rights reservedFull textInfectious diseasemedRxiv
Nurses’ experiences of delivering palliative care in Asia: a qualitative systematic review
Agung Subakti Nuzulullail, Halfie Zaqiyah Gusti Puspitasari, Dwina Oktavia Deli +3
Journal of Research in Nursing28 Oct 2026Peer-reviewedLicence not statedFull textEpidemiology & public healthPMC
Oncology nurses' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to CAUTI prevention: a qualitative study guided by the nursing role effectiveness model.
Filipe Paiva-Santos, Paulo Santos-Costa, Luísa Teixeira-Santos +2
BMC nursing1 Jul 2026Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMCDOAJ
Barriers, benefits, and unmet needs in full-time, off-the-job training among oncology nurses: a qualitative descriptive study.
Bohui Shi, Yanqing Kang, Wenqian Zhao +7
Frontiers in medicine8 Oct 2026Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{bang2026pediatric,
  title = {{Pediatric oncology nurses’ experiences with trauma-informed care in South Korea: a qualitative study}},
  author = {Kyung-Sook Bang and Yeseul Jeong and Ji-Hye Choe and Sinyoung Choi},
  journal = {Child Health Nursing Research},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.4094/chnr.2025.039},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2025.039},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Pediatric oncology nurses’ experiences with trauma-informed care in South Korea: a qualitative study
AU  - Kyung-Sook Bang
AU  - Yeseul Jeong
AU  - Ji-Hye Choe
AU  - Sinyoung Choi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/31
JO  - Child Health Nursing Research
DO  - 10.4094/chnr.2025.039
UR  - https://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2025.039
AB  - Purpose: Trauma-informed care (TIC) provides a framework for recognizing and responding to trauma in healthcare settings. However, little is known about how pediatric oncology nurses in South Korea understand and practice TIC, which has not yet been systematically implemented in pediatric oncology wards. This study explored pediatric oncology nurses’ perceptions and experiences of TIC through individual in-depth interviews.  Methods: This descriptive qualitative study used purposive sampling. Eight female nurses from tertiary hospitals in the capital region, each with at least 1 year of experience caring for children with cancer, participated in individual in-depth interviews. Data were collected from January to March 2024 and analyzed using thematic analysis guided by the conceptual framework of trauma-informed nursing care.  Results: Four major themes emerged: (1) trauma-uninformed care emerging within constrained environments, (2) emergent trauma-informed strategies aligned with core principles, (3) emotional burdens and tensions endured under structural constraints, and (4) bearing fruit of the partial enactment of TIC through mutual trust building.  Conclusion: Despite structural limitations, pediatric oncology nurses recognized the presence and effects of trauma and implemented informal trauma-informed practices. System-level adoption of TIC, including universal trauma precautions, screening protocols, and staff-support systems, is needed to provide TIC for both patients and healthcare professionals.
SN  - 2287-9110
SN  - 2287-9129
ER  -

Abstract

Related

Cite