Book Review: Speaking Honestly with Sick and Dying Children and Adolescents by Dietrich Niethammer

摘要

Speaking candidly with terminally ill children can be a challenging and at times daunting task. After decades of debate and a wealth of research, it has become increasingly accepted that open and honest communication is necessary for the psychological well-being of these patients. Dietrich Niethammer, a pediatric oncologist, recently published Speaking Honestly with Sick and Dying Children and Adolescents , which provides a comprehensive digest supporting the notion that honesty is the best approach for this patient population.Niethammer’s book offers a tour of formerly controversial questions that physicians, psychologists, anthropologists, social workers, and parents caring for sick and dying children have asked throughout history: how much do terminally ill children and adolescents actually understand about their illness and how much should they be told? Niethammer walks the reader through English, French, and German publications that have …