Decisional burden among parents of children with cancer
Title
Decisional burden among parents of children with cancer
Creator
Sisk B A; Kang T I; Goldstein R; DuBois J M; Mack J W
Identifier
Publisher
Cancer
Date
2019
Subject
communication; ethics; pediatric oncology; regret; shared decision making
Description
BACKGROUND: Despite growing evidence and support for shared decision making, little is known about the experiences of parents who hold more active roles than they wish. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 372 parents of children with cancer and their oncologists at 2 academic pediatric hospitals. Parents were surveyed within 12 weeks of the diagnosis, and they were assessed for associated factors and outcomes of holding a more active decision-making role than they preferred. Parents were asked about their preferred and actual roles in decision making. Oncologists were asked to estimate parental preferences. RESULTS: Most parents preferred to share decision making with the oncologist (64% [236 of 372]); however, 13% (49 of 372) preferred oncologist-led decision making. Most parents fulfilled their ideal decision-making role (66% [244 of 372]), but a notable minority were either more involved (14% [52 of 372]) or less involved than they preferred (20% [76 of 372]; P < .0001 [McNemar test]). Oncologists recognized parents' preferred roles in 49% of cases (167 of 341); 24% (82 of 341) of parents preferred more active roles than the oncologist recognized, and 27% (92 of 341) preferred less active roles than recognized. No parent or communication characteristics were found that were associated with parents' holding a more active role than desired in decision making. Parents who held more active roles in decision making than they wished had higher odds of decisional regret (odds ratio, 3.75; 95% confidence interval, 2.07-6.80; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Although many parents fulfill their desired roles in decision making about their child's cancer, some are asked to take on more active roles than they wish. Holding a more active role than desired may lead to increased decisional regret.
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).
Citation List Month
Oncology 2019 List
URL Address
Collection
Citation
Sisk B A; Kang T I; Goldstein R; DuBois J M; Mack J W, “Decisional burden among parents of children with cancer,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed May 2, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/16971.