ArticleNeurology2023
The ALIGN Framework: A Parent-Informed Approach to Prognostic Communication for Infants With Neurologic Conditions.
Article in Neurology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Communicating neurological prognosis in the prenatal period: a narrative review and practice guidelines.Pediatric research · 2025Guideline
- "The Most Difficult Conversations We Have": Resident Experiences With Pediatric Neuroprognostication.Annals of the Child Neurology Society · 2026Article
- Engaging families with experience of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: a call to action.Pediatric research · 2026Review
- Education Research: Learning to Prognosticate: An Educational Needs Assessment with Senior Child Neurology Residents.Neurology. Education · 2026Article
- Ethical challenges and moral conflicts in periviability prenatal counseling: a scoping review of healthcare professionals' perspectives.BMC medical ethics · 2026Article
- Opportunities to cultivate trust through communication behaviors.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Article
- Enhancing shared decision-making for infants in the intensive care unit: lessons from parents.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- Extending the Branches of Neonatal Neurocritical Care.Seminars in perinatology · 2025Review
- Communicating with Families after Severe Acute Brain Injury.Neurocritical care · 2025Review
- Preparing for a Child's End of Life: Parent Perspectives.Pediatrics · 2025Article
- A Seat at the Table: Family Conferences for Infants with Neurological Conditions.Journal of palliative medicine · 2025Article
- An interdisciplinary fetal neonatal neurology collaborative promotes integrative life-course brain health.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- Predictors of Death or Severe Impairment in Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Pediatric Perspectives on Palliative Care in the Neurocritical Care Unit.Neurocritical care · 2024Review
- Understanding the multidimensional neurodevelopmental outcomes in children after congenital Zika virus exposure.Pediatric research · 2024Review
- Parental impact during and after neonatal intensive care admission.Seminars in perinatology · 2024Review
- Family Reflections on a Lifecourse Journey after Neonatal Intensive Care: Neurodiversity, Enablement and Hope.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Interdisciplinary fetal-neonatal neurology training improves brain health across the lifespan.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Review
- The science of uncertainty guides fetal-neonatal neurology principles and practice: diagnostic-prognostic opportunities and challenges.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Review
- Prognostic Discordance Among Parents and Physicians Caring for Infants with Neurologic Conditions.The Journal of pediatrics · 2023Observational
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9 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesClinicians often communicate complex, uncertain, and distressing information about neurologic prognosis to parents of critically ill infants. Although communication tools have been developed in other disciplines and settings, none address the unique needs of the neonatal and pediatric neurology context. We aimed to develop a parent-informed framework to guide clinicians in communicating information about neurologic prognosis.
methodsParents of infants with neurologic conditions in the intensive care unit were enrolled in a longitudinal study of shared decision-making from 2018 to 2020. Parents completed semistructured interviews following recorded family meetings with the health care team, at hospital discharge, and 6 months after discharge. All interviews targeted information about parent preferences for prognostic disclosure. We analyzed the data using a conventional content analysis approach. Two study team members independently coded all interview transcripts, and discrepancies were resolved in consensus. We used NVIVO 12 qualitative software to index and organize codes.
resultsFifty-two parents of 37 infants completed 123 interviews. Parents were predominantly mothers (n = 37/52, 71%) with a median age of 31 (range 19-46) years. Half were Black (n = 26/52, 50%), and a minority reported Hispanic ethnicity (n = 2/52, 4%). Inductive analysis resulted in the emergence of 5 phases of prognostic communication (Approach, Learn, Inform, Give support, and Next steps: ALIGN): (1) Approach: parents appreciated receiving consistent information about their child's neurologic outcome from clinicians who knew their child well. (2) Learn: parents valued when clinicians asked them how they preferred receiving information and what they already knew about their child's outcome prior to information delivery. (3) Inform: parents valued honest, thorough, and balanced information that disclosed prognostic uncertainty and acknowledged room for hope. (4) Give support: parents valued empathic communication and appreciated clinicians who offered real-time emotional support. (5) Next steps: parents appreciated clinicians who connected them to resources, including peer support. DISCUSSION: The ALIGN framework offers a novel, parent-informed strategy to effectively communicate neurologic prognosis. Although ALIGN represents key elements of a conversation about prognosis, each clinician can adapt this framework to their own approach. Future work will assess the effectiveness of this framework on communication quality and prognostic understanding.
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