Abstract

The article examines the language used by Health Care Professionals’ (HCPs) during interpersonal communication with parents, in particular when discussing prenatal diagnoses and possible pediatric palliative care during pregnancy and later parental care for children with various genetic conditions such as Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) or Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and other life-threatening illnesses. As has become clear from relevant studies, some of the terms used by HCPs may be perceived by parents as offensive and unfortunate (e.g., phrases such as “incompatible with life,” “lethal,” etc.). Hence, in view of the vulnerable position of parents and the important role played by communication in the therapeutic process and its impact on parents’ well-being and their capacity to become autonomous and responsible for their own decisions and choices, this paper presents a number of possible solutions to these issues. The author concludes that the most effective communication strategy in the case of prenatal diagnoses is one that is personally oriented towards each individual parent, and which ensures that the information is neutral and understandable and addressed in the parents’ own language. Such a mode of interpersonal communication should leave room for hope, which itself serves a supportive function in that it allows parents to cope with highly sensitive decisions.

Keywords: pediatrics, autonomy, parents, palliative care, hope, clinical communication