Caring Through Serious Illness

Caring for a child with life threatening illness, poor prognosis or who is at the end of life is one of the most difficult experiences a pediatrician can face. Beyond the medical decision making, these moments require complex communication of painful information while supporting children and families through fear, uncertainty, grief, and loss. In this episode, we’re exploring the challenges of caring for children with life-threatening illness and the skills that can help clinicians deliver difficult news with clarity, compassion and empathy.

To help us understand how to make these difficult conversations more meaningful and comprehensible, we are joined by two experts: Kristen Eisenman, MD, and Allison Feldman, MD. Both specialize in hospice and palliative medicine, and Dr. Eisenman also specializes in hematology/oncology. They are both associate professors at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

In this episode, our experts discuss: 

• The unique role of the pediatrician in end-of-life care, as well as care for a serious illness 
• Balancing honesty about prognosis while still allowing families to maintain hope 
• Language and communication strategies particularly helpful for families 
• How meaningful support and listening can be to struggling families