8 - 10 One recent study explored hopeful thinking and the level of comfort in providing pediatric palliative care among hospital nurses. 1 - 7 Many studies explore the medical value of hope related to cancer survival rates or lack of hope and increased mortality, with contradictory results. One implication of this tension is that health care professionals worry that a family's focus on hope may lead to continued aggressive treatment that may cause the patient needless suffering.Ī review of the literature indicates that the concept of hope is being explored in greater depth in recent years in medical, nursing, psychology, and pastoral care journals. Some health care professionals are concerned that a family's expression of hope may be related to their inability to accept the reality of the situation or that they may be unable to convey honest or direct communication about the poor prognosis expressed by the health care team. Bereaved parents express maintaining hope as an important factor in how they coped with their child's illness. Observations from clinical practice reveal a situation that often arises during a child's serious illness: a family's desire to maintain hope in the face of a poor prognosis. Supporting families around the changing nature of hope may allow health care professionals to partner with parents while maintaining honest communication. All participants noted the changing nature of hope and its implications for care.Ĭonclusions The tension between maintaining hope and accepting the reality of the prognosis may lessen when acknowledging that parents see their role as bearers of hope. Nurses identified particular challenges around parents' decisions to continue treatment when it prolonged the child's suffering. Some physicians reported difficulty in maintaining hope in the face of prognostic data others acknowledged the importance of the family's hope. Health care professionals tended to view hope as related to a positive outcome. Results While all participants identified common elements in their definition of hope, parents identified their role as bearers of hope it was a cornerstone of decision making. Main Outcome Measures We identified attributes of participants' concepts of hope using qualitative analysis of audio-taped sessions. Intervention Participants were asked standardized questions related to their definition of hope, its role in medical decisions, and the benefits and detriments of hope in focus group sessions. Participants Bereaved parents, pediatricians, pediatric residents, and nurses (N = 39). Setting Academic pediatric medical center. Objective To investigate the concept of hope for families and pediatric health care professionals during a child's serious illness. Shared Decision Making and Communication.Scientific Discovery and the Future of Medicine.Health Care Economics, Insurance, Payment.Clinical Implications of Basic Neuroscience.Challenges in Clinical Electrocardiography.

Quotes for terminally ill child