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Tumor talk and child-well being: perceptions of 'good' and 'bad' news among parents of children with advanced cancer
journal contribution
posted on 2017-05-01, 00:00 authored by A M Feraco, V Dussel, Liliana OrellanaLiliana Orellana, T I Kang, J R Geyer, A R Rosenberg, C Feudtner, J WolfeCONTEXT: Little is known about how parents of children with advanced cancer classify news they receive about their child's medical condition. OBJECTIVE: To develop concepts of "good news" and "bad news" in discussions of advanced childhood cancer from parent perspectives. METHODS: Parents of children with advanced cancer cared for at three children's hospitals were asked to share details of conversations in the preceding 3 months that contained "good news" or "bad news" related to their child's medical condition. We used mixed methods to evaluate parent responses to both open-ended and fixed response items. RESULTS: Of 104 enrolled parents, 86 (83%) completed the survey. Six (7%) parents reported discussing neither good nor bad news, 18 (21%) reported only bad news, 15 (17%) reported only good news, and 46 (54%) reported both good and bad news (1 missing response). Seventy-six parents (88%) answered free response items. Descriptions of both good and bad news discussions consisted predominantly of "tumor talk" or cancer control. Additional treatment options featured prominently, particularly in discussions of bad news (42%). Child well-being, an important good news theme, encompassed treatment tolerance, symptom reduction, and quality of life. CONCLUSION: A majority of parents of children with advanced cancer report discussing both good and bad news in the preceding 3 months. While news related primarily to cancer control, parents also describe good news discussions related to their child's well-being. Understanding how parents of children with advanced cancer classify and describe the news they receive may enhance efforts to promote family-centered communication.
History
Journal
Journal of pain and symptom managementVolume
53Issue
5Pagination
833 - 841Publisher
ElsevierLocation
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPublisher DOI
eISSN
1873-6513Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2017, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative MedicineUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
Advanced Childhood CancerBad NewsGood NewsHopeParental PerceptionsTumor TalkScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineHealth Care Sciences & ServicesMedicine, General & InternalClinical NeurologyGeneral & Internal MedicineNeurosciences & NeurologyPALLIATIVE CAREHEALTH-CARECOMMUNICATIONGOALSPROGNOSISENDINTEGRATIONTHERAPYUNTIL
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