Truth-telling to the seriously ill child – Nurses’ experiences, attitudes, and beliefs

Truth-telling to the seriously ill child – Nurses’ experiences, attitudes, and beliefs
Nursing Ethics, Sage Journals
First published online December 21, 2023
Mandy El Ali, Sharon Licquirish, Jenny O'Neill, and Lynn Gillam
Background: Nurses play an integral role in the care of children hospitalised with a serious illness. Although information about diagnostics, treatments, and prognosis are generally conveyed to parents and caregivers of seriously ill children by physicians, nurses spend a significant amount of time at the child’s bedside and have an acknowledged role in helping patients and families understand the information that they have been given by a doctor. Hence, the ethical role of the nurse in truth disclosure to children is worth exploring.