Shared decision-making between paediatric haematologists, children with sickle cell disease and their parents: an exploratory study

Editorial reading guide · Collaboration

What would we hear in a consultation in which both child and parent took part?

Recordings allow readers to examine how decisions were shared in actual visits, alongside the perspectives of participants.

Who was studied?

Children and parents attending a university hematology clinic, with consultations assessed by independent evaluators.

Age / stage: Pediatric sickle cell disease

Read with three questions

1. How did independent observers score involvement?
2. What did the researchers observe directly and what did they infer from a rating?
3. Where in the decision process could the child, the parent and the clinician express different priorities?

Keep the limits in view

The measured differences or patterns are observational. Family selection, reporting and other features of the setting can affect their interpretation.