Communication Strategies for Empowering and Protecting Children

Communication with children and adolescents is an area that requires special attention. It is our job as health care professionals to ensure that the information being relayed is provided at a level that can be understood, to ensure patient safety as well as keep a child or adolescent engaged in their own medical care and decision making. This article discusses the importance of communication with children, adolescents, and their caregivers. It focuses on the overall importance of health literacy in communicating health care information to both caregivers and their children. Included are points to consider when communicating at different developmental stages, as well as strategies to help establish rapport. Lastly, the importance of technology and how it can help facilitate communication with this population is introduced.