ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2021
Breaking bad news: what parents would like you to know.
Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multilevel barriers and facilitators of communication in pediatric oncology: A systematic review.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2022Pooled it
- Parental expectations regarding the announcement of a diagnosis of a rare oral disease: a qualitative study in Marseille, France.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026Article
- Ethical dilemmas and intervention strategies in doctor-patient-family communication in end-of-life pediatric oncology: a narrative review.Translational pediatrics · 2026Review
- Hope in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Mapping review on breaking bad news and design of SAFE & CARING protocol for pediatric hematology-oncology.PEC innovation · 2026Article
- "The weight of words": a phenomenological study of Chinese neonatologists' lived experiences of delivering bad news.BMC medical ethics · 2026Article
- Parents' perspectives on the use of statistics to convey uncertainty in the NICU: a qualitative analysis.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026Article
- In the end, it is the word that remains: communicating bad news in pediatric oncology.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
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- Experiences and challenges in perinatal palliative care: a qualitative study among parents and healthcare providers in regional and tertiary hospitals.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Developing multi-perspective practice-based evidence theses for breaking bad news in the German pediatric oncology: A participatory group Delphi study.PEC innovation · 2025Article
- Evidence for Impact: Evaluating Core Treatment Goals in Pediatric Palliative Inpatient Care.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Concerns of first-year medical students regarding their future profession: an international study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Communication in Paediatric Oncology: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Perspectives of Nurses and Parents of Children With Cancer.Nursing open · 2025Article
- Caregiver Perceptions of Communication About Early Cerebral Palsy or High-Risk Designation in Infants.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Uncertainties in the NICU: a scoping review to inform a tailored taxonomy.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025Article
- Delivering Serious News in Pediatric Cardiology-A Pilot Program.Pediatric cardiology · 2025Article
- The Experience of Caring for a Medically Complex Child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study of Parental Impact.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The experiences of pregnant women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period about bad news: A qualitative study protocol.Journal of education and health promotion · 2025Article
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Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveBreaking bad news about life-threatening and possibly terminal conditions is a crucial part of paediatric care for children in this situation. Little is known about how the parents of children with life-threatening conditions experience communication of bad news. The objective of this study is to analyse parents' experiences (barriers and facilitators) of communication of bad news.
designA qualitative study consisting of a constant comparative analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with parents.
settingThe Netherlands.
participantsSixty-four parents-bereaved and non-bereaved-of 44 children (aged 1-12 years, 61% deceased) with a life-threatening condition.
interventionsNone.
resultsBased on parents' experiences, the following 10 barriers to the communication of bad news were identified: (1) a lack of (timely) communication, (2) physicians' failure to ask parents for input, (3) parents feel unprepared during and after the conversation, (4) a lack of clarity about future treatment, (5) physicians' failure to voice uncertainties, (6) physicians' failure to schedule follow-up conversations, (7) presence of too many or unknown healthcare professionals, (8) parental concerns in breaking bad news to children, (9) managing indications of bad news in non-conversational contexts, and (10) parents' misunderstanding of medical terminology.
conclusionsThis study shows healthcare professionals how parents experience barriers in bad news conversations. This mainly concerns practical aspects of communication. The results provide practical pointers on how the communication of bad news can be improved to better suit the needs of parents. From the parents' perspective, the timing of conversations in which they were informed that their child might not survive was far too late. Sometimes, no such conversations ever took place.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.