Talking to a child with cancer. A valuable experience.

Being able to communicate with children who are suffering from a life threatening illness, as is cancer, is a big challenge in the daily practice. We need to talk with them in many different situations. Sometimes we have to prepare and put the child at ease before a physical examination or an invasive procedure. This is a very common aspect of our work and it is appreciated by the little patients and their families. We do know that timely explanations can greatly diminish stress and fears. Talking with children, allows us to know whether there are any factors in the environment that can cause unexpected symptoms, and of course this knowledge helps us to manage them in advance and in the best way, paying importance to detail. Children need to know what is wrong and like to discuss diagnosis and treatment.