White lies in pediatric care: a qualitative study from nurses' perspective

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Medical Ethics
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Communicating with ill children presents unique challenges.
• The use of "white lies" is sometimes considered to protect children from distressing information.
• Understanding nurses' perspectives on this practice is crucial for ethical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore pediatric nurses' experiences with using white lies in clinical settings.
• To identify factors influencing the decision to employ untruths when communicating with sick children.
• To inform the development of communication guidelines for pediatric healthcare providers.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews.
• 24 on-duty pediatric nurses were purposefully sampled.
• Data analysis utilized Granheim and Landman's method with MAXQDA-10 software.

Main Results:

• The use of white lies is context-dependent, influenced by five key categories.
• These categories include the nature of information, child's characteristics, family norms, healthcare team's capacity, and institutional policies.
• Nurses' decisions are shaped by a complex interplay of these situational and systemic factors.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' use of white lies in pediatrics is a nuanced practice influenced by multiple factors.
• There is a need for enhanced communication skills among healthcare teams when relaying information to families of ill children.
• Development of specific guidelines for healthcare professionals in pediatric settings is recommended to navigate these communication challenges ethically and effectively.