Seven Types of Uncertainty When Clinicians Care for Pediatric Patients With Advanced Cancer
child; human; palliative therapy; controlled study; article; pediatrics; childhood cancer; patient referral; Uncertainty; qualitative analysis; cancer patient; cancer prognosis; oncologist; pediatric patient; semi structured interview; organization; care behavior; Advanced cancer
Context: Clinicians deciding whether to refer a patient or family to specialty palliative care report facing high levels of uncertainty. Most research on medical uncertainty has focused on prognostic uncertainty. As part of a pediatric palliative referral intervention for oncology teams we explored how uncertainty might influence palliative care referrals.
Hill D L; Walter J K; Szymczak J E; DiDomenico C; Parikh S; Feudtner C
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
2020
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).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.08.010" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.08.010</a>
A conceptual model of barriers and facilitators to primary clinical teams requesting pediatric palliative care consultation based upon a narrative review
Communication inhibitors; Group processes; Patient care team; Pediatric palliative care
BACKGROUND: Despite evidence that referral to pediatric palliative care reduces suffering and improves quality of life for patients and families, many clinicians delay referral until the end of life. The purpose of this article is to provide a conceptual model for why clinical teams delay discussing palliative care with parents. DISCUSSION: Building on a prior model of parent regoaling and relevant research literature, we argue for a conceptual model of the challenges and facilitators a clinical team might face in shifting from a restorative-focused treatment plan to a plan that includes palliative aspects, resulting in a subspecialty palliative care referral. Like patients and families, clinicians and clinical teams may recognize that a seriously ill patient would benefit from palliative care and shift from a restorative mindset to a palliative approach. We call this transition "clinician regoaling". Clinicians may experience inhibitors and facilitators to this transition at both the individual and team level which influence the clinicians' willingness to consult subspecialty palliative care. The 8 inhibitors to team level regoaling include: 1) team challenges due to hierarchy, 2) avoidance of criticizing colleagues, 3) structural communication challenges, 4) group norms in favor of restorative goals, 5) diffusion of responsibility, 6) inhibited expression of sorrow, 7) lack of social support, 8) reinforcement of labeling and conflict. The 6 facilitators of team regoaling include: 1) processes to build a shared mental model, 2) mutual trust to encourage dissent, 3) anticipating conflict and team problem solving, 4) processes for reevaluation of goals, 5) sharing serious news as a team, 6) team flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: Recognizing potential team level inhibitors to transitioning to palliative care can help clinicians develop strategies for making the transition more effectively when appropriate.
Walter J K; Hill D L; DiDomenico C; Parikh S; Feudtner C
BMC Palliative Care
2019
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).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-019-0504-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1186/s12904-019-0504-8</a>
Pediatric Oncology Providers' Perceptions of a Palliative Care Service: The Influence of Emotional Esteem and Emotional Labor
article
Context: Pediatric palliative care consults for children with cancer often occur late in the course of disease and close to death, when earlier involvement would reduce suffering. The perceptions that pediatric oncology providers hold about the pediatric palliative care service (PPCS) may shape referral patterns. Objectives: To explore how pediatric oncology providers at one institution perceived the hospital's PPCS and the way these perceptions may influence the timing of consultation. Methods: We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with pediatric oncology providers at a large children's hospital. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by two coders using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: We interviewed 16 providers (10 physicians, one nurse practitioner, two social workers, two psychologists, and one child life specialist). Three core perceptions emerged: 1) the PPCS offers a diverse range of valuable contributions to the care of children with advancing cancer; 2) providers held favorable opinions about the PPCS owing to positive interactions with individual palliative care specialists deemed extraordinarily emotionally skilled; and 3) there is considerable emotional labor involved in calling a PPCS consult that serves as a barrier to early initiation. Conclusion: The pediatric oncology providers in our study held a highly favorable opinion about their institution's PPCS and agreed that early consultation is ideal. However, they also described that formally consulting PPCS is extremely difficult because of what the PPCS symbolizes to families and the emotional labor that the provider must manage in introducing them. Interventions to encourage the early initiation of palliative care in this population may benefit from a focus on the emotional experiences of providers.
Szymczak JE; Schall T; Hill DL; Walter JK; Parikh S; DiDomenico C; Feudtner C
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
2018
<a href="http://doi.org/%2010.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.01.019" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.01.019</a>