Challenging Conversations in Pediatrics

Learning effective communication skills is vital for having productive and appropriate daily interactions with patients, their caretakers, and other professionals in our healthcare team. Medical professionals, particularly medical students, may feel ill-equipped to handle certain patient’s scenarios, especially when sharing potentially life altering news. Difficult discussions in the field of pediatrics pose unique challenges, different from those in adult medicine. We must navigate family dynamics while delivering meaningful, age-appropriate messages to children and their caregivers. We may have limited experience in these conversations as they fortunately happen less frequently in pediatrics. What may be an everyday occurrence to one family could be considered life altering or difficult to another, thus further emphasizing the importance of meeting the family where they are. This chapter will review some strategies to build confidence in these types of discussions.