Application of the verona coding definitions of emotional sequences (VR-CoDES) on a pediatric data set.
OBJECTIVE
Adult patients present concerns as defined in the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES), but we do not know how children express their concerns during medical consultations. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of VR-CoDES to pediatric oncology consultations.


METHODS
Twenty-eight pediatric consultations were coded with the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES), and the material was also qualitatively analyzed for descriptive purposes. Five consultations were randomly selected for reliability testing and descriptive statistics were computed.


RESULTS
Perfect inter-rater reliability for concerns and moderate reliability for cues were obtained. Cues and/or concerns were present in over half of the consultations. Cues were more frequent than concerns, with the majority of cues being verbal hints to hidden concerns or non-verbal cues. Intensity of expressions, limitations in vocabulary, commonality of statements, and complexity of the setting complicated the use of VR-CoDES. Child-specific cues; use of the imperative, cues about past experiences, and use of onomatopoeia were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with cancer express concerns during medical consultations. VR-CoDES is a reliable tool for coding concerns in pediatric data sets.


CONCLUSIONS
For future applications in pediatric settings an appendix should be developed to incorporate the child-specific traits.
Vatne
Torun M
TM
Center for Shared Decision Making and Nursing Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. torun.vatne@rr-research.no
Finset
Arnstein
A
Ørnes
Knut
K
Ruland
Cornelia M
CM
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D009664:Norway; D010372:Pediatrics; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards