Introduction: Cancer and its treatments severely limit patients' daily lives. Relatives of patients may provide caregiving assistance to help patients cope with these limitations. Many children and adolescents-referred to as young caregivers (YCs)-provide support for patients. However, healthcare professionals do not always recognize YCs, and when they do, healthcare professionals are unsure how to support them.
Objective: This study aimed to explore healthcare professionals' attitudes toward and practices when encountering YCs and to compare these aspects according to their experiences with YCs.
Methods: In total, 395 oncology healthcare professionals (mean age 43.3 years; 84.8% females) participated in the study and completed an online survey.
Results: Only 1 in 2 professionals reported ever meeting a YC. The majority identified YCs by YCs' frequent presence in the department. No significant difference in attitudes was observed between professionals who had met a YC and those who had never met one. The support provided by professionals to YCs generally consisted of vigilance and exchanges. However, many professionals expressed a need to know where they can refer YCs for assistance.
Conclusions: These findings underline the importance of improving the practices of healthcare professionals to help them better identify and support the YCs they meet.
Keywords: cancer; healthcare; oncology; practices; professional support; young caregivers.
© 2023 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.