It is hard to imagine a more difficult piece of information for parents to hear than a diagnosis that their child has cancer. After the consultation, parents often can't remember many specifics. Now a tool that has been used successfully with adult patients -- taping the initial consultation -- appears to be helpful for parents as well.

Stan F. Whitsett, Ph.D., at the University of Washington, and colleagues at Alberta Children's Hospital, the University of Alberta, and the University of Calgary, enlisted 42 parents of newly diagnosed cancer patients for a pilot study. After their initial session with the oncologist, about half received notes taken by a nurse, and the others received notes plus an audiotape. When both groups were evaluated one week and again six to eight weeks after the initial session, those who had received the tapes had better recall than those who received only notes.

The researchers also found that the tapes caused higher anxiety for some of the parents. But if better recall leads to more effective treatment and a greater chance of recovery, most will agree that the anxiety trade-off is worthwhile.

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