Communication with seriously ill children is challenging

Parents assume an executive role when their children are seriously ill. Young and colleagues (p 305) interviewed 13 children with cancer and 19 parents and found that parents actively managed communication by withholding, delaying, or diluting information. This was particularly evident at the time of diagnosis. The executive role, usually tacitly endorsed by health professionals, hampered open communication with young people and left some feeling marginalised. Health professionals face a challenge in balancing the sometimes conflicting priorities and needs of children with cancer and their parents.

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Relevant Article

Managing communication with young people who have a potentially life threatening chronic illness: qualitative study of patients and parents

Bridget Young, Mary Dixon-Woods, Kate C Windridge, and David Heney
BMJ 2003 326: 305. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]