A medication diary-book for pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Indonesia

Background Event-free survival of pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia was low (20%). The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a medication diary-book on the treatment outcome of childhood ALL. Procedure A randomized study was conducted with 109 pediatric patients with ALL in a pediatric oncology center in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Both intervention and control groups received a structured parental education program and donated chemotherapy. The intervention group received a medication diary-book to remind parents and families to take oral chemotherapy and present for scheduled appointments or admissions. Event-free survival estimate (EFS) at 3 years was assessed. Results Among pediatric patients with ALL with highly educated mothers (senior high school or higher), the EFS-estimate at 3 years of the intervention group was significantly higher than the EFS-estimate at 3 years of the control group (62% vs. 29%, P=0.04). Among pediatric patients with ALL with low-educated mothers, no significant difference was found in the EFS-estimates at 3 years between the intervention and control group (26% vs. 18%, P=0.86). Conclusions We conclude that a medication diary-book might be useful to improve the survival of pediatric patients with ALL in resource-limited settings, particularly in patients with highly educated mothers. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:1593-1597. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.