Parent communication with care teams and preparation for family meetings in the paediatric cardiac ICU: a qualitative study.

Communication with medical teams represents a modifiable determinant of long-term outcomes for families of children in the cardiac ICU. When parents are included as valued members of their child's care team, they are more likely to feel a sense of control over their child's outcomes, even in the face of prognostic uncertainty. Family meetings represent an important opportunity to repair fractures in trust between families and care teams and overcome barriers to communication between parties.