Bereaved parents and siblings offer advice to health care providers and researchers.

Objective: To determine how to improve care for families by obtaining their advice to health care providers and researchers after a child's death from cancer.

Design: Families with a surviving sibling (age, 8 to 17 y) were recruited from cancer registries at 3 hospitals in the United States and Canada 3 to 12 months (M=10.4, SD=3.

Asking next-of-kin of recently deceased cancer patients to take part in research: 11 of 20 surveyed found it a positive experience.

Implications for practice and research: These results will aid the development of protocols for screening bereaved individuals who are eligible for study participation. These results provide insight into bereaved participants' preferences for data collection methods (e.g.

Changes in parents after the death of a child from cancer.

Context: Few studies have compared multiple perspectives of changes experienced by parents after a child's death.

Objectives: This study used interviews with bereaved parents and siblings to examine changes in parents during the first year after the death of a child from cancer.

Methods: Mothers (n=36), fathers (n=24), and siblings (n=39) from 40 families were recruited from three hospitals in the U.

National survey of children's hospitals on legacy-making activities.

Objective: Many hospitals offer legacy-building activities for children with serious illnesses or their family members, yet legacy-making has received little empirical attention. This descriptive cross-sectional study examined healthcare provider perceptions of legacy-making activities (e.g.

Parental perceptions of care of children at end of life.

Objective: Little is known regarding the perceptions of parents about end-of-life care for their children. This study describes parental perceptions of the care of hospitalized, terminally ill children in the areas of (1) clinical management, (2) interdisciplinary support, and (3) pain and symptom management.

Methods: Through a mixed methods design, researchers interviewed a representative sampling of bereaved parents via telephone.

Changes in siblings after the death of a child from cancer.

Background: Few studies have examined changes in siblings after the death of a brother or sister, particularly from mother, father, and sibling perspectives within the first year after death.

Objective: This descriptive study identified and assessed the frequency of changes in siblings after a child's death from cancer.

Methods: Participants were recruited from cancer registries at 3 hospitals in the United States and Canada 3 to 12 months after the child's death.

Peer relationships of bereaved siblings and comparison classmates after a child's death from cancer.

Objectives: To compare peer relationships among bereaved siblings and matched classmates, and to examine gender, grade level, and time since death as moderators.

Methods: Families were recruited from cancer registries at four hospitals 3-12 months after a child's death. Measures of social behavior and peer acceptance were completed by children in the classrooms of 105 bereaved siblings (ages 8-17 years).

A qualitative study of advice from bereaved parents and siblings.

Despite a growing bereavement literature, relatively little is known about what families find helpful after a child's death and how best to assist them during the grieving process. In this qualitative study, the authors explored advice from 40 families (65 parents, 39 siblings) of children who died from cancer 6-19 months earlier. Content analysis emphasized the individual nature of grief and revealed advice that fit into three temporal categories: before the death, soon after, and long-term.

Comparison of continuing bonds reported by parents and siblings after a child's death from cancer.

Few studies have distinguished similarities and differences between continuing bonds as they appear in various bereaved populations, particularly parent versus sibling cohorts following a child's death. This mixed-method study compared how parents and siblings experienced continuing bonds in 40 families who lost a child to cancer. Thirty-six mothers, 24 fathers, and 39 siblings were recruited 3-12 months post-loss (M = 10.

Pediatric palliative care in childhood cancer nursing: from diagnosis to cure or end of life.

Objectives: To describe selected components of pediatric palliative care from diagnosis to cure or end of life that combine to help nurses and other clinicians achieve goals of care for children with cancer and their families.

Data Sources: Published articles.

Conclusion: Pediatric palliative care is characterized by diversity of care delivery models; effect of cancer on the family as the central focus of care; and consideration of culture, spirituality, communication, and ethical standards.

Bereaved parents' and siblings' reports of legacies created by children with cancer.

This qualitative study explored bereaved parents' and siblings' reports of legacies created by children with advanced cancer. Participants included 40 families of children who died from cancer, with 36 mothers, 27 fathers, and 40 siblings (ages 8-18 years). Individual interviews were completed at home approximately 10.

Continuing bonds: a human response within paediatric palliative care.

The concept of continuing bonds (CB) is a human response to health and illness within paediatric palliative care. This literature review aims to: define and explain the significance of CB; describe the history of the concept; critically analyze the literature related to CB; and make recommendations for future research. Exploration of CB as a response to life-threatening illness and to losing a child is significant in terms of improving care for children and their families living with life-threatening illness.