Some difficulties encountered in teaching physician-parent communication in a pediatric emergency department

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Medicine
• Healthcare Communication
• Medical Education

Background:

• Effective physician-parent communication is crucial during pediatric emergency hospitalizations.
• Existing communication strategies may be insufficient in high-stress medical situations.
• A standardized protocol was developed to guide physician-parent discussions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a 10-topic informational protocol in enhancing physician-parent communication.
• To evaluate physician compliance with the protocol during pediatric emergency admissions.
• To identify factors influencing protocol adherence and topic discussion.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 2161 pediatric admissions over seven months.
• Implementation of a 10-topic physician-led informational protocol.
• Analysis of 323 completed protocols, examining physician education, omitted topics, diagnosis, and perceived parent sophistication.

Main Results:

• Overall protocol completion rate was low (21.5%), with significant errors in form completion.
• Attending physicians showed lower compliance than trainees.
• Guilt feelings were the least discussed topic (55-62% for poisoning/chronic disease diagnoses) and discussions were unrelated to parent sophistication.

Conclusions:

• The developed protocol was largely ineffective in improving physician-parent communication.
• Low compliance and inconsistent topic discussion, particularly regarding emotional aspects like guilt, limit its utility.
• Further research is needed to develop more effective communication strategies in pediatric emergency care.