ArticlePatient education and counseling2022
Conflicting goals and obligations: Tensions affecting communication in pediatric oncology.
Article in Patient education and counseling, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Patient-Reported Outcome Benefits for Children with Advanced Cancer and Parents: A Qualitative Study.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2023Trial
- Planting seeds for seasons ahead: Communication strategies for prognostic disclosure in pediatric neuro-oncology.Neuro-oncology practice · 2026Article
- Managing Conflicting Prognostic Communication Preferences in Pediatric Oncology.JAMA network open · 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
- Hope and Uncertainty in Prognostic Discussions.Pediatrics · 2026Article
- The Lived Experience of Pediatric Pain Management: Insights From Families and Providers.Journal of patient experience · 2026Article
- Child and Adolescent Cancer Communication Preferences for Treatment Decision Making: A Meta-Synthesis.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2025Review
- Communication in Paediatric Oncology: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Perspectives of Nurses and Parents of Children With Cancer.Nursing open · 2025Article
- Understanding theChildren (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Communication across language barriers in Nordic paediatric oncology care - A cross-sectional multicentre survey with healthcare personnel.PEC innovation · 2025Article
- Article
- Patient, Caregiver, and Clinician Perspectives on Core Components of Therapeutic Alliance for Adolescents and Young Adults With Advanced Cancer: A Qualitative Study.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Advice to Clinicians on Communication from Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer and Parents of Children with Cancer.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Broaching goals-of-care conversations in advancing pediatric cancer.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo describe the tensions experienced by clinicians and psychosocial professionals that affect communication in pediatric oncology.
methodsTen focus groups with nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and psychosocial professionals at 2 US institutions. We analyzed transcripts using thematic analysis, assessing tensions experienced when communicating with parents.
resultsWe identified 5 themes of tensions, defined as challenges experienced when clinicians and psychosocial professionals are trying to achieve multiple conflicting goals or obligations while communicating: (1) Supporting parental hopes while providing honest opinions and information; (2) disclosing all possible outcomes while avoiding the creation of new worries or uncertainties; (3) building relationships while maintaining personal boundaries; (4) disclosing sensitive information while adhering to professional role and perceived authority; (5) validating parental beliefs or decisions while fulfilling obligation for honesty. Some tensions represented conflicts between different communication goals. Others represented conflicts between a communication goal and another obligation.
conclusionClinicians and psychosocial professionals experience tensions that affect communication with parents in pediatric oncology. Some tensions might be addressed with interventions or education. Others will require further analysis to provide sufficient guidance to clinicians. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Unaddressed tensions might lead to poor communication and clinician burnout. Future work should explore solutions to these tensions.
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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.