Paper presented at ICCCPO Conference, Barretstown, Ireland (2003)

Occupational therapy project for children and young adult cancer patients

Although the healing and recovery process stands in the foreground for the treatment of children and young adults with cancer, the young patients frequently think about the time after the chemotherapy. Questions such as “What about school?” or “What will I do for a living?” occupy the youths and their parents.

A driver’s license for the PC

With the European Computer Driver’s License, we can show our children additional perspectives for the future, which means that this certification training makes the entrance into working life or school easier for young cancer patients after the treatment.

The project “European Computer Driver’s License (ECDL)” was started by the psychosocial group of the St. Anna Children’s Hospital, the Vienna consulting company "die Berater" and the Kinder-Krebs-Hilfe (Children’s Cancer Aid Association) and is subsidized by partner companies, in particular the Austria Computer Association.

Through the networking of the hospital rooms and the provisioning of computers and notebooks, learning instruments are now available which can be used regardless of time, age and prior education.

The youths profit in many additional ways from this project: They have meaningful activities during their therapies, they are distracted from their difficult situation, they are given the feeling of learning something valuable for the time after the illness and discover better contact with others in their situation through the course.

A major difficulty was initially presented by the non-homogeneous group: “Age differences, prior education as well as unforeseeable pauses due to varying chemotherapy durations make “normal” instruction nearly impossible”.

Because most of the patients must be treated partially as in-patients and partially as out-patients, this form of new, flexible learning under the supervision and care of trained tutors is the key to success.

Since the start of 2002, young cancer patients of 12 years or older can take the European Computer Driver’s License (ECDL) course at the oncological wards of our two main children hospitals in Vienna.

At the beginning, 16 hospital care workers (teachers, kindergarten teachers, employees of the Children’s Cancer Aid Association) were trained as so-called disseminators. These individuals completed the ECDL course in June 2002.

We considered this training step to be an important factor to prevent hospital-internal contact anxiety. The competence gained in working with the media allows qualified and emotional support for the patients.

Afterwards, the training of youths and young adults began in May 2002. After fulfillment of various criteria (e.g. age, system requirements), the patients are accepted into the ECDL learning group.

We consciously refrained from including the medical prognoses in the selection criteria. Only the will and the desire of the patients count. Through the interactive networking and computer-aided learning programs and the methods of hybrid training, the youths can complete their training either at home or in the rooms of the Children’s Cancer Aid Association or in the hospital, depending on their situation and treatment phases. The tests generally take place at e-train, the IT location of die Berater. The youths prize this “normality” far from the mental proximity of their illness.

The tests can also take place in the hospital in exceptional, health-related situations.

The training also influences the social network (siblings, parents, teachers, etc.) positively, such that this group is also distracted from the illness.

Currently there are 64 participants in this project, of which 13 youths have obtained the ECDL completion certificate, 11 died during the project and 7 left for motivation reasons.

What exactly is the ECDL?

The European Computer Driver’s License (ECDL) is an internationally recognized and standardized certificate that confirms that a computer user possesses basic and practical computer skills. This certification covers the general use of the computer as well as the typical office applications and searching for information and documents in the Internet.

What do I need the ECDL for?

To be able to prove my computer skills on the job or during the job search. Anyone who has completed the ECDL is capable of using the computer as a tool in his or her daily work. The ECDL is the foundation for all computer users and represents a good starting position for more in-depth IT educations.

How many modules are there?

The ECDL includes seven modules that can be completed in any order:

-  Module 1: Basics of Information Technology

-  Module 2: Computer Networking and File Management

-  Module 3: Text Processing

-  Module 4: Spreadsheets

-  Module 5: Database

-  Module 6: Presentation

-  Module 7: Information and Communication

How do I get into ECDL?

Contact either the station psychologist, the Kindergarten teacher, the instructor team or the Children’s Cancer Aid Association. 

Initial meeting with the trainer

-   In possession of a computer that has Internet access, sound card and speakers

-   At least 12 years old

How do I study for the ECDL?

At the start, every participant receives brief instruction in the optimal use of the software. During the self-study of the training contents, an attendance phase takes place during which open questions can be clarified or concrete examples can be worked through as exercises. The length of this phase depends on the module.

After positive completion of all seven subtests, one receives the European Computer Driver’s License.

We have learned one thing from the positive experiences with this project so far: not only the desire to learn helps the youths forget a little of their suffering, it is also the communication with each other – the formation of peer groups (groups with common interests and goals) which results automatically from the shared meetings, the learning groups and via the internet. It makes a significant difference to the situation of the individual whether one only discusses the illness or also talks about a shared problem, such as in a database application with Access.

The enthusiasm with which the course contents are absorbed and the commitment given to the challenge of “computer work” are sensational.  

What the participants say about this project …

"I always looked forward to these shared hours because I met new friends there and we always had tons of fun. There was always a very casual mood for the tests. We always knew that we could do everything and were hardly nervous. I was a little nervous for module 1 (theory)."    Sebastian, 12 years

"It was very important for me to be distracted in this way during the chemotherapies.

What I particularly liked: that I did not have to study alone for the seven tests or modules, but that I could also study with the other patients who were participating in the project at the hospital and that we were also together in the course and at the tests."          Natascha, 13 years

"It was totally great because I was given the opportunity to do something for my further education despite my illness."        Stephan, 14 years

Erich Wurzinger,  Stefan Kremser, Elfi Schattauer