The Why Behind the Questions: Question-asking in Parents of Children Newly Diagnosed With Cancer - A Report From the Children's Oncology Group.
Katherine Patterson Kelly, Janice Withycombe, Kristin Stegenga and 1 others
PMID 30473153WHAT IT FOUND
Parents often could not ask questions early because they were overwhelmed or did not know what to ask.
Nurses were usually first to answer. Do not assume no questions means no unmet needs; ask what they are worried or wondering about.
Key findings
01Parents often could not ask questions soon after diagnosis because they did not know what to ask or were overwhelmed and distressed.
02Parents described nurses as front-line clinicians for questions, with nurses often answering or seeking help quickly.
03Parents used question-asking over time to learn new information, verify what they had heard, and clarify what they missed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 20 parents were interviewed, and the sample included 16 mothers and 4 fathers, so it is not a broad picture of all families. The families were described as highly educated, and the sample had limited variability in race/ethnicity. Parents who did not speak English were not included. This was a focused analysis of existing data, so the team could not probe further about question-asking. The study captured parents' reports only, not children's or siblings' question-asking, and it did not test whether any communication approach improves outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that teach-back or asking about worries improves understanding or outcomes. It reports parents' experiences in 20 interviews, not tested effects.