“What if?”: Addressing uncertainty with families

Children with cancer and their families deal with uncertainty throughout their treatment course. Clinicians must help patients and families manage uncertainty by engaging them in discussions about their worries and fears. Too often, clinicians avoid or defer discussions about anticipated or worried‐...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric blood & cancer 2019-06, Vol.66 (6), p.e27699-n/a
Main Authors: Snaman, Jennifer M., Feraco, Angela M., Wolfe, Joanne, Baker, Justin N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety - prevention & control
communication
Decision Making
Family - psychology
Health Communication - standards
Humans
Neoplasms - diagnosis
Neoplasms - psychology
Neoplasms - therapy
pediatric oncology
Professional-Family Relations
prognosis
Uncertainty
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Summary:Children with cancer and their families deal with uncertainty throughout their treatment course. Clinicians must help patients and families manage uncertainty by engaging them in discussions about their worries and fears. Too often, clinicians avoid or defer discussions about anticipated or worried‐about future events—the “what ifs.” Failing to engage in these conversations may lead to increased distress. We have developed a framework for having “what if” conversations with patients and families that enables providers to explore families’ informational and emotional needs. This framework may enable providers to improve families’ prognostic understanding, explore concerns, and examine preferences and goals of care.
ISSN:1545-5009
1545-5017
DOI:10.1002/pbc.27699