Konrad Shelley Cohen
School of Social Work, University of New England, 716 Stevens Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, USA.
J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care. 2008;4(1):38-56. doi: 10.1080/15524250802072161.
Research suggests that parents of seriously ill children place significant value on the relational context of their children's health care. This psychological phenomenological study explored mothers' perspectives on qualities that they found to be either helpful or unhelpful to their experiences of caregiving. Relational and communicative competencies were identified as most influential in mothers' assessments of provider care. Practitioners experienced in end-of-life care were viewed as highly supportive by the mothers in the study. Training for professionals in principles of palliative and end-of-life care is recommended for those who work with these children and families.
