Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-015-0024-0
Title: What information do parents need when facing end-of-life decisions for their child? A meta-synthesis of parental feedback
Authors: Xafis, V 
Wilkinson, D
Sullivan, J
Keywords: Article
delivery
emotion
empirical research
family decision making
health care personnel
human
medical information
medical literature
online system
parent
synthesis
terminal care
wellbeing
attitude to health
decision making
education
hope
interpersonal communication
needs assessment
organization and management
parent
pediatric intensive care unit
procedures
psychology
terminal care
time factor
Communication
Decision Making
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Hope
Humans
Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
Needs Assessment
Parents
Terminal Care
Time Factors
Issue Date: 2015
Citation: Xafis, V, Wilkinson, D, Sullivan, J (2015). What information do parents need when facing end-of-life decisions for their child? A meta-synthesis of parental feedback. BMC Palliative Care 14 (1) : 19. ScholarBank@NUS Repository. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-015-0024-0
Rights: Attribution 4.0 International
Abstract: Background: The information needs of parents facing end-of-life decisions for their child are complex due to the wide-ranging dimensions within which such significant events unfold. While parents acknowledge that healthcare professionals are their main source of information, they also turn to a variety of additional sources of written information in an attempt to source facts, discover solutions, and find hope. Much has been written about the needs of parents faced with end-of-life decisions for their child but little is known about the written information needs such parents have. Research in the adult intensive care context has shown that written resources impact positively on the understanding of medical facts, including diagnoses and prognoses, communication between families and healthcare professionals, and the emotional wellbeing of families after their relative's death. Methods: A meta-synthesis of predominantly empirical research pertaining to features which assist or impede parental end-of-life decisions was undertaken to provide insight and guidance in our development of written resources (short print and online comprehensive version) for parents. Results: The most prominently cited needs in the literature related to numerous aspects of information provision; the quantity, quality, delivery, and timing of information and its provision impacted not only on parents' ability to make end-of-life decisions but also on their emotional wellbeing. The meta-synthesis supports the value of written materials, as these provide guidance for both parents and healthcare professionals in pertinent content areas. Conclusions: Further research is required to determine the impact that written resources have on parental end-of-life decision-making and on parents' wellbeing during and after their experience and time in the hospital environment. © 2015 Xafis et al.; licensee BioMed Central.
Source Title: BMC Palliative Care
URI: https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/181450
ISSN: 1472684X
DOI: 10.1186/s12904-015-0024-0
Rights: Attribution 4.0 International
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