Giving difficult news to families of children in serious condition or process of terminality/Dando noticias dificeis a familia da crianca em situacao grave ou em processo de terminalidade/Dando noticias dificiles para la familia del nino en situacion grave o en proceso terminal

The aim was to learn the experiences of nurses in communicating difficult news to families of hospitalized children in serious condition or process of terminality. This qualitative study of nine nursing professionals on the staff of a newborn intensive care unit was conducted at a university hospital in southern Brazil, in the second half of 2008. Data were collected by semi-structured interview, and analyzed using thematic analysis, which yielded three categories: preferring not be the first to give the news, having difficulty communicating with the family, and destroying hope by giving the difficult news. It was concluded that developing the ability to communicate difficult news humanely strengthens the family in its role as caregiver.