Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Day One Talk: parent preferences when learning that their child has cancer

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The discussion that occurs between a pediatric oncologist and a family when they first learn about their child’s new diagnosis of cancer is known as the “Day One Talk.” Few studies have addressed parent preferences when learning that their child has been diagnosed with cancer. The objective of this study is to assess what information parents of children with newly diagnosed cancer believe is important to learn during the Day One Talk.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, a survey tool based on expert opinion was created to assess parents’ views of components of the Day One Talk including its content, length, and setting, as well as whether the child should be present for the initial talk and which staff should be present for the talk.

Results

Sixty-two parents of children with newly diagnosed cancer participated. Ninety-seven percent believed that the Day One Talk is extremely important. Ninety percent believed that the word “cancer” should be used during the Day One Talk. Seventy-seven percent believed that the pediatric oncologist should provide specific numbers regarding cure rates for the patient’s diagnosis. Eighty-four percent of parents do not believe that children younger than 14 should be present.

Conclusions

These results suggest that parents of children with cancer have certain preferences regarding the Day One Talk. When conducting the Day One Talk, providers should elicit parent preferences regarding these issues in order to best meet families’ needs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, Murray T, Xu J, Thun MJ (2007) Cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin 57:43–66

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Mack JW, Grier HE (2004) The Day One Talk. J Clin Oncol 22:563–566

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Oshea J, Smith O, O’Marcaigh A, McMahon C, Geoghegan R, Cotter M (2007) Breaking bad news—parents’ experience of learning that their child has leukaemia. Ir Med J 100:588

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ptacek JT, Ptacek JJ (2001) Patients’ perceptions of receiving bad news about cancer. J Clin Oncol 19:4160–4164

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wooley H, Stein A, Forrest GC, Baum JD (1989) Imparting the diagnosis of life threatening illness in children. BMJ 298:1623–1626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Ablon J (2000) Parents’ responses to their child’s diagnosis of neurofibromatosis. Am J Med Genet 93:136–142

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Byrnes AL, Berk NW, Cooper ME, Marazita ML (2003) Parental evaluation of informing interviews for cleft lip and/or palate. Pediatrics 112:308–313

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Chanock S (2001) Reflections on events surrounding the time of diagnosis in pediatric oncology. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 23:211–212

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fallowfield L, Jenkins V (2004) Communicating sad, bad, and difficult news in medicine. Lancet 363:312–319

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Garwick AW, Patterson J, Bennett FC, Blum RW (1995) Breaking the news. How families first learn about their child’s chronic condition. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 149:991–997

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Girgis A, Sanson-Fisher RW (1995) Breaking bad news: consensus guidelines for medical practitioners. J Clin Oncol 13:2449–2456

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Greenberg LW, Jewett LS, Gluck RS, Champion LA, Leikin SL, Altieri MF, Lipnick RN (1984) Giving information for a life-threatening diagnosis. Parents’ and oncologists’ perceptions. Am J Dis Child 138:649–653

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Jedlicka-Kohler I, Gotz M, Eichler I (1996) Parents’ recollection of the initial communication of the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Pediatrics 97:204–209

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Levetown M (2008) Communicating with children and families: from everyday interactions to skill in conveying distressing information. Pediatrics 121:e1441–e1460

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Mack JW, Wolfe J, Grier HE, Cleary PD, Weeks JC (2006) Communication about prognosis between parents and physicians of children with cancer: parent preferences and the impact of prognostic information. J Clin Oncol 24:5265–5270

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Parker PA, Baile WF, de Moor C, Lenzi R, Kudelka AP, Cohen L (2001) Breaking bad news about cancer: patients’ preferences for communication. J Clin Oncol 19:2049–2056

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ptacek JT, Eberhardt TL (1996) Breaking bad news. A review of the literature. JAMA 276:496–502

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Pueschel SM, Murphy A (1977) Assessment of counseling practices at the birth of a child with Down’s syndrome. Am J Ment Defic 81:325–330

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sharp MC, Strauss RP, Lorch SC (1992) Communicating medical bad news: parents’ experiences and preferences. J Pediatr 121:539–546

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Sloper P, Turner S (1993) Determinants of parental satisfaction with disclosure of disability. Dev Med Child Neurol 35:816–825

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Strauss RP, Sharp MC, Lorch SC, Kachalia B (1995) Physicians and the communication of “bad news”: parent experiences of being informed of their child’s cleft lip and/or palate. Pediatrics 96:82–89

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Vaidya VU, Greenberg LW, Patel KM, Strauss LH, Pollack MM (1999) Teaching physicians how to break bad news: a 1-day workshop using standardized parents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 153:419–422

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Buckman R (1992) How to break bad news: a guide for health care professionals. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  24. Serwint JRL (2000) Sharing bad news with patients. Contemp Pediatr 17:45–66

    Google Scholar 

  25. Miller KS, Vannatta K, Vasey M, Yeager N, Compas BE, Gerhardt CA (2012) Health literacy variables related to parents’ understanding of their child’s cancer prognosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 59:914–918

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Davey HM, Butow PN, Armstrong BK (2003) Cancer patients’ preferences for written prognostic information provided outside the clinical context. Br J Cancer 89:1450–1456

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Hagerty RG, Butow PN, Ellis PM, Dimitry S, Tattersall MH (2005) Communicating prognosis in cancer care: a systematic review of the literature. Ann Oncol 16:1005–1053

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Groopman J (2001) Dying words. The New Yorker

  29. Kaplowitz SA, Campo S, Chiu WT (2002) Cancer patients’ desires for communication of prognosis information. Health Commun 14:221–241

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Kim MK, Alvi A (1999) Breaking the bad news of cancer: the patient’s perspective. Laryngoscope 109:1064–1067

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Lobb EA, Butow PN, Kenny DT, Tattersall MH (1999) Communicating prognosis in early breast cancer: do women understand the language used? Med J Aust 171:290–294

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Eden O, Black I, MacKinlay G, Emery A (1994) Communication with parents of children with cancer. Palliat Med 8:105–114

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

Authors have no financial relationships to declare. Authors have full control of all primary data and agree to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, 3415 Bainbridge Ave., Bronx, NY, 10467, USA

    Rachel M. Kessel, Michael Roth, Karen Moody & Adam Levy

Authors
  1. Rachel M. Kessel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Roth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Karen Moody
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Adam Levy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel M. Kessel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kessel, R.M., Roth, M., Moody, K. et al. Day One Talk: parent preferences when learning that their child has cancer. Support Care Cancer 21, 2977–2982 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1874-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-013-1874-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation