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Physician and parent behavior during invasive pediatric cancer procedures: relationships to child behavioral distress

L M Dahlquist1, T G Power, L Carlson

  • 1Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|August 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Physician interactions significantly reduce child distress during medical procedures. Parents’ behaviors sometimes increased distress, while physicians’ actions consistently decreased it, highlighting their role in patient comfort.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric oncology
  • Child psychology
  • Medical sociology

Background:

  • Invasive medical procedures like bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures can cause significant distress in children with cancer.
  • Understanding the impact of adult interactions on child distress is crucial for improving patient care during these procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between child distress and the behaviors of parents and physicians during pediatric cancer procedures.
  • To investigate the potential of physician-patient interactions to mitigate distress in children undergoing invasive medical treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of 51 children with cancer, their parents, and physicians during bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures.
  • Child distress measured using the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD).
  • Adult behaviors coded using the Child Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale (CAMPIS).

Main Results:

  • Physicians were generally less verbally interactive than parents before and during procedures.
  • Parental behaviors were positively correlated with child distress.
  • Physician behaviors demonstrated a consistent negative correlation with child distress, indicating a reduction in distress.

Conclusions:

  • Physician behaviors play a critical role in reducing child distress during invasive procedures.
  • Findings underscore the importance of the physician-patient relationship and physicians' potential as change agents in managing pediatric procedural distress.
  • Interventions focused on physician interaction strategies could improve the experience of children with cancer.

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