Paediatric liaison research: problems at the clinical—research interface

Abstract

The implications of the quest for scientific credibility in relation to clinically based paediatric liaison research are considered. Some of the problems arising from particular research strategies and their relationship to clinical issues are discussed. In particular, both recognition that ambivalence about research may occur in patients and their families, clinicians and researchers, and awareness that the research process may mirror the clinical process, may be helpful in facilitating both the continuation of research and increased cohesion in the multidisciplinary team.

Comment on Wood

“…John and Bradford, 1991;Bor and colleagues, 1989;and McFadyen and Altschuler, 1992 as well as Lask) British family therapists are relatively silent and absent from paediatric settings. Yet, family therapists have so much to offer with their rich knowledge of intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics which could be turned to the understanding of psychobiological functioning and how that affects both the onset and the course of illness and disability within the family.…”