St Jude Children´s Research Hospital y OPS organizaron el taller para fortalecer el enfoque centrado en el paciente y en la alfabetización en salud.
Lima, Peru, January 17, 2025.- On January 15 and 16, the workshop on Effective Communication in Pediatric Oncology, organized by St Jude Children's Research Hospital in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization, was held with the objective of strengthening the skills and competencies of health professionals in the Region in effective communication when engaging with parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with cancer.
Effective communication is essential for ensuring patient-centered care, facilitating informed decisions, and providing emotionally support to families during childhood cancer treatment. It also enhances health literacy, reduces stress in critical situations, and fosters trusting relationships between health professionals and caregivers.
The lack of training in effective communication has been identified as a significant challenge for health professionals in the Region of the Americas, impacting the ability to provide patient-centered care and to promote health literacy -both essential pillars for improving pediatric cancer outcomes.
The workshop brought together 40 healthcare professionals - including medical, nursing and psychology staff - who work in childhood cancer units and have direct contact with patients and their families. Participants, who hold leadership roles within their teams, represented the 15 countries in the Region where the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) is being implemented.
Over the two-day training, a multidisciplinary approach was used to equip attendess with communication tools, including the SPIKES and NURSE models for complex situations such as delivering bad news; as well as educational resources to enhance patient-centered care.
Sessions covered the theoretical aspects of effective communication, complemented by simulation exercises in the clinic across various stages of the oncology treatment process—from diagnosis to end-of-life care. These included critical moments such as communication during high-risk surgery or relapse. Additionally, experiences in developing patient education programs in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru were presented.
Beyond enhancing participants' effective communication skills, this workshop aims to help establish a replicable training model that can be implemented in other countries across the Region. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of pediatric oncology care through a patient-centered approach and enhanced health literacy.
