Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Feb 1997
The child with cancer. Influence of culture on truth-telling and patient care.
The definition, understanding, and shaping of childhood and adolescence vary widely. The cultural life of a community determines how children are valued and what measures will be taken to insure their health. It will also determine the family's responses to an ill child. ⋯ Nearly 30 countries are participating in this attempt to identify cultural variations in truth-telling, palliative care, pain control, and use of alternative medicine in oncology. The importance of this study lies not only in the results that it will yield, but also in the joint effort that it has required to share professional experiences and to enhance efficient communication among oncologists internationally. This study may also be used as a model to investigate oncology practices in pediatric health-care settings.