This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Training of Lecturers
Training for Paediatricians and Paediatric Students
Multilanguage dictionary of medical terms
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Contractual Partners
From this section it is possible to access to a description of each contractual partner of the Softis-Ped project.
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Lecturers
From this section it is possible to access to the information about the paediatric lecturers involved in the Softis-Ped Project in the 5 European countries involved.
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Residents Working with Children Information
From this section it is possible to access to the information about the paediatricians involved in the Softis-Ped Project in the 5 European countries involved.
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Paediatric students
From this section it is possible to access to the information about the paediatric students involved in the Softis-Ped Project in the 5 European countries involved.
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Associated Partners
As a result of the exploitation activity a number of associated partners officially joined the project in order to contribute to the improvement of the project impact on their target groups and to ensure the project sustainability by continuing using the project deliverables in the next years.
Events
The Softis-Ped project has been promoted trough conferences and articles.
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Conferences
The Softis-Ped project was presented in a number of events in order to report about the activities carried out and the results achieved
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Training Activity
The training activity 'Soft Skills in Pediatrics' was held at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mures (RO)
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Press Review
The Softis-Ped project partnership made contacts with web sites focusing on the fields of paediatrics and education
This section of the Softis-Ped portal provides administrative information for the project contractual partners and for the European Commission and it is password protected.
Training of Lecturers
Homepage > Training > Training of Lecturers
This training package is addressed to lecturers and trainers in the field of paediatrics on how to assist paediatric undergraduate and resident students in developing and consolidating their soft skills for improving the quality of paediatric services.
Communicating with Parents
2.3. Soft Skills
2.3.2 Empathy and Emotional Intelligence (Managing Emotions, Solving Things, Bad News)
Parents of sick children are going through a difficult experience. Because pediatricians interact with both kids and their parents, they need especially strong interpersonal skills. Bonding with the child’s family, showing empathy and understanding the parents’ plight is a very important part of the treatment. Parents can react in various ways to stressful situations and a pediatrician must be prepared to handle common negative reactions like blame, anger, a sudden outpouring of grief.
It’s very important to accept what the parents say, without judging it. Appreciating parents’ efforts and affirming their ability to care for the child both verbally and non-verbally helps building confidence and trust. Parents deserve to know the truth, but its delivery should be tempered with common sense and empathy. If the child’s condition is particularly serious, the information can be delivered in small parts over two or more visits. However, if parents express a desire to know everything, it must be told to them.
Many physicians report some level of discomfort with communication, particularly when they must tell parents upsetting or unwelcome information. Breaking bad news alongside the challenge of handling difficult constitute the two main areas doctors experience the most difficulty with. When hearing bad news, parents value a physician who clearly demonstrates a caring attitude and who allows them to talk and to express their emotions. Parents are more attentive to the affective relationship with the doctor than the ability of the doctor to fix the problem.
Levetown and the Committee of Bioethics proposed the following way to communicate bad news:
Open the conversation asking parents what do they know about what is happening to their child. Most likely parents will become upset hearing bad news. Waiting until their attention turns back to the doctor and acknowledging their grief and fear can be a clear sign that a pediatrician is supportive, non-judgmental considers the parents’ emotional state. Doctors can use empathetic sentences like “I can see you were not expecting this.” (Silence). Once parents told their ideas to the pediatrician, misperceptions should be corrected.
Asking whether they know someone else with this diagnosis or situation and inquiring about their associated experience can also be helpful. Pediatricians can tell parents, for example: “You seem quite upset; I would be, too. (Silence.) Do you know anyone who has had this illness? (Silence.) How did things go for them? “.
Gradually sharing additional illness and treatment information might be greatly appreciated by parents. Pediatricians can give complete information over several visits if needed. Written materials and providing a means to contact the physician when additional questions arise give parents the feeling that they are supported by the healthcare team.
Parents might want to have the opportunity of touching or holding the child, particularly newborn infants or children from whom they have been separated during a transport. Ensuring physical contact whenever possible can reduce the child’s fear and parents’ traumatic experience of the events.
It’s very important to accept what the parents say, without judging it. Appreciating parents’ efforts and affirming their ability to care for the child both verbally and non-verbally helps building confidence and trust. Parents deserve to know the truth, but its delivery should be tempered with common sense and empathy. If the child’s condition is particularly serious, the information can be delivered in small parts over two or more visits. However, if parents express a desire to know everything, it must be told to them.
Many physicians report some level of discomfort with communication, particularly when they must tell parents upsetting or unwelcome information. Breaking bad news alongside the challenge of handling difficult constitute the two main areas doctors experience the most difficulty with. When hearing bad news, parents value a physician who clearly demonstrates a caring attitude and who allows them to talk and to express their emotions. Parents are more attentive to the affective relationship with the doctor than the ability of the doctor to fix the problem.
Levetown and the Committee of Bioethics proposed the following way to communicate bad news:
Open the conversation asking parents what do they know about what is happening to their child. Most likely parents will become upset hearing bad news. Waiting until their attention turns back to the doctor and acknowledging their grief and fear can be a clear sign that a pediatrician is supportive, non-judgmental considers the parents’ emotional state. Doctors can use empathetic sentences like “I can see you were not expecting this.” (Silence). Once parents told their ideas to the pediatrician, misperceptions should be corrected.
Asking whether they know someone else with this diagnosis or situation and inquiring about their associated experience can also be helpful. Pediatricians can tell parents, for example: “You seem quite upset; I would be, too. (Silence.) Do you know anyone who has had this illness? (Silence.) How did things go for them? “.
Gradually sharing additional illness and treatment information might be greatly appreciated by parents. Pediatricians can give complete information over several visits if needed. Written materials and providing a means to contact the physician when additional questions arise give parents the feeling that they are supported by the healthcare team.
Parents might want to have the opportunity of touching or holding the child, particularly newborn infants or children from whom they have been separated during a transport. Ensuring physical contact whenever possible can reduce the child’s fear and parents’ traumatic experience of the events.
Online Resources
- Levetown, M., (2008) Communicating With Children and Families: From Everyday Interactions to Skill in Conveying Distressing Information. Pediatrics VOLUME 121 / ISSUE 5This article provides a review of the evidence regarding clinical communication in the pediatric setting, covering the spectrum from outpatient primary care consultation to death notification, and provides practical suggestions to improve communication with patients and families, enabling more effective, efficient, and empathic pediatric health care.
