Talking about Death with Children with Incurable Cancer: Perspectives from Parents

Abstract

Most parents in this study cited several reasons for not discussing death with their child. Our findings highlight the sensitive and complex issues surrounding these conversations, indicating that there may be a role for clinicians in supporting parents.

Difficult conversations: Discussing prognosis with children with cystic fibrosis

“…[3][4][5][6][7] The pediatric palliative care community has emphasized the importance of open and direct communication with children at an appropriate developmental level. [8][9][10][11][12] Clear, supportive, intentional communication with children and their parents is essential to providing quality care in pediatrics, in every setting from primary care to intensive care to chronic illness management. 13 Children and their families want to be active participants in their health care and decisionmaking.…”

Duelo en el cuidador del niño fallecido por cáncer: revisión exploratoria

“…El abordaje cualitativo es la tendencia de estudio de este fenómeno, siendo predominante los diseños descriptivos con un 30% [30][31][32][33][34][35] , seguidos de los fenomenológicos con un 25% 36-40 y un 5% de estudios de caso 41 . Los diseños mixtos constituyeron el 25% [42][43][44][45][46] , mientras que los abordajes cuantitativos descriptivos un 15% [47][48][49] .…”

“…El periodo mínimo transcurrido entre el fallecimiento del niño y la inclusión de los informantes a los estudios fue de un año en un 25% [36][37][38]42,48 , diez años en un 15% 30,33,47 , seis meses en un 10% 32,34 , tres meses en un 5% 46 , cinco años en un 5% 44 , veinte meses en un 5% 31 , un estudio captó a los participantes cuando refirieron creer haber elaborado el duelo 39 y el 30% de los estudios no especifica este aspecto 35,40,41,43,45,49 .…”

Palliative care in children with cancer: implications for general practice

“…7 Other important differences are the developmental stage of the child, communication about death and dying, and psychological factors. [8][9][10] Children have a different understanding of death compared with adults. 8 Himelstein et al previously described the stages of development of the concept of death in children, which is relevant for GPs.…”

“…9,10 Lastly, paediatric palliative care, more so than adult palliative care, focused on families, involving not only parents but also siblings and other family members.…”