Parents' views on information in childhood cancer care

The aim of the study is to highlight parents' views on information in childhood cancer care.

A qualitative design, appropriate to gain a holistic view, has been chosen. Eight families with children diagnosed with cancer, of various ages and gender and from various backgrounds, participated in five interviews each during the first year of the child's illness.

If the parents' needs were fulfilled, they were better equipped to handle the illness of their child, which is totally dependant on how the matter of information is dealt with. Information is a complex and demanding issue for the persons involved and the families' views were divergent in this area. Sometimes they seemed to obtain the information successfully and sometimes there were great problems in this respect. Therefore their preferences must be considered.

There has to be an improvement from the aspects of what, when and how information is provided. The major findings of this study indicate that the families need better support and more distinct instructions to be able to cope with the situation.