Communicating about prognosis: ethical responsibilities of pediatricians and parents

Title

Communicating about prognosis: ethical responsibilities of pediatricians and parents

Creator

Mack JW; Joffe S

Publisher

Pediatrics

Date

2014

Subject

adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Terminal Care; Physician-Patient Relations; Pediatrics; Adult; Parents; Prognosis; Professional-Family Relations; Communication

Description

Clinicians are sometimes reluctant to discuss prognosis with parents of children with life-threatening illness, usually because they worry about the emotional impact of this information. However, parents often want this prognostic information because it underpins informed decision-making, especially near the end of life. In addition, despite understandable clinician concerns about its emotional impact, prognostic disclosure can actually support hope and peace of mind among parents struggling to live with a child's illness. Children, too, may need to understand what is ahead to manage uncertainty and make plans for the ways their remaining life will be lived. In this article, we describe the ethical issues involved in disclosure of prognostic information to parents and children with life-threatening illness and offer practical guidance for these conversations.
2014-02

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Type

Journal Article

Citation List Month

Backlog

Citation

Mack JW; Joffe S, “Communicating about prognosis: ethical responsibilities of pediatricians and parents,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/14893.