Clinician-parent communication during informed consent for pediatric leukemia trials.
OBJECTIVE
To address the need to describe informed consent in pediatric settings and to identify barriers to parent understanding, this study assessed how aspects of clinician-parent communication during the informed consent conference (ICC) relate to parent understanding of informed consent and parent perception of the impact of the ICC on their anxiety and control.


METHODS
Parents of 127 children with newly diagnosed leukemia who were eligible for clinical trials were the participants. The study used comprehensive methods including both observational and self-report assessment methods.


RESULTS
Structural equation modeling demonstrated that parent race and socioeconomic status (SES) were powerful predictors of clinician-parent communication, parent anxiety and control as a result of the ICC, and parent understanding. Clinician information giving and partnership building predicted parent participation during the ICC.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings may be used to design interventions that increase the effectiveness of the ICC by identifying specific elements of the conference that influence parent affect and understanding.
Miller
Victoria A
VA
Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA. vam4@cwru.edu
Drotar
Dennis
D
Burant
Christopher
C
Kodish
Eric
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007258:Informed Consent; D007938:Leukemia / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations