Parent's with incurable cancer: 'Nuts and bolts' of how professionals can support parents to communicate with their dependent children. Issue 3 (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Semple, Cherith J.; McCaughan, Eilís; Smith, Rachel; Hanna, Jeffrey R.
• Is Part Of: Patient education and counseling. Volume 105:Issue 3(2022)
• Page Start: 775
• Page End: 780
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: Parental cancer -- Healthcare professionals -- Communication framework -- End of life -- Qualitative; Patient education -- Periodicals; Health counseling -- Periodicals; Health education -- Periodicals; Counseling -- Periodicals; Patient Education -- Periodicals; Éducation des patients -- Périodiques; Counseling -- Périodiques; Éducation sanitaire -- Périodiques; 615.5071
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.06.032
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0738-3991

Abstract

Highlights: Parents struggle with timing, amount of information and language they should use to explain incurable cancer, and impending death to children. Adequately skilled and knowledgeable HSCPs can offer necessary care to parents, helping them support their children at end of life. Parents should be encouraged to start the difficult conversations soon after receiving the poor prognosis, to avoid crisis management. The 'Talking, Telling and Sharing': End of life framework (6W Grid) is an evidence-based, theory-driven communication framework. This communication framework can assist HSCPs to proactively engage with patients to address parent-child communication concerns. Abstract: Objective: Parents with incurable cancer are often uncertain how, what and when is best to tell their children about their poor prognosis and prepare them for the actual death. Despite parents' desire and need for support from health and social care professionals (HSCPs), this is often lacking. HSCPs feel ill-equipped, identifying a need for an evidence-based communication framework for professionals to use in practice, promoting parent-child communication at end of life. Methods: A systematic process, involving a systematic review and data from 76 semi-structured, face-to-face qualitative interviews from three participant populations, including HSCPs (n = 32), bereaved parents (n = 21) and funeral directors (n = 23) were triangulated. This informed the development of the 'Talking, Telling and Sharing': End of life framework (6 W Grid), guided by an expert group. Results: An evidence-based, theory-driven communication framework has been developed. This provides a mechanism for HSCPs to proactively and directly engage with patients, addressing their parent-child communication concerns. Conclusion: Clear, evidence-based communication frameworks can enhance patient-provider communication in practice, particularly around sensitive and complex issue. Practice implications: There is a need for HSCPs to encourage parents to start these difficult conversations soon after receiving the poor prognosis, to avoid crisis management when the ill-parent is actively dying or throughout the immediate bereavement period.