1. The pediatrician’s engagement has a significant impact on the family’s lived experience. If the pediatrician is disengaged, the family perceives abandonment or abdication of responsibility.
2. Their understanding of personalities and other dynamics plays a vital role in helping family members feel confident and secure in their ability to care for their child while supporting healthy siblings.
3. The primary care clinician sees the “whole” child. They are able to help caregivers consider the impact of interventions in the context of the family’s goals of care.
4. Wellness check-ups and other visits are an opportunity to check in with siblings and assess their coping strategies.
5. Staying connected to the family, and offering support to the child’s specialist team, reassures the family that they are valued.
6. Primary care clinicians can play a key role in introducing the prospect of transitioning the child to adult medicine, ideally as early as age 14.

Download a printable version of this list. Find all of our Top Lists. For the full guide, visit CPN’s Guide page on The Pediatrician’s Role in Serious Illness.