Effective patient-provider communication is critical to promote patient satisfaction, encourage patient involvement in care, and improve health outcomes. Although prior HCI works aim to enhance the dyadic communication by improving patients’ communication skills, little is known about healthcare providers’ communication work to facilitate effective communication with their child patients. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 healthcare providers and clinic observations, our study identified four strategies that providers used in their communication with patients: building rapport, developing familiarity with care settings, respecting patients’ communication modes and preferences, and delegating small decision-making and directing questions to patients. Based on these strategies, we discuss three key elements that providers value and work toward to achieve effective communication in pediatric care practice. Our study also uncovers the detailed process of how the providers develop their strategies to tailor their communication to the patients’ specific needs and preferences, and we describe design opportunities for communication technology.

The diagnosis of cancer brings about significant changes in the life of a child. In addition to physical pain, pediatric patients face psychological and social challenges. At the same time, some patients also have positive experiences with and attitudes toward their illness and treatment. Drawing on 19 semi-structured interviews with pairs of pediatric cancer patients and their parental caregivers, we examined patients' perspectives on their experience of living with cancer. We identified four salient themes in patients' positive experiences: future-oriented thinking, developing strong personal bonds and relationships, gaining knowledge and life experience, and developing self-management and coping skills. Collectively, the patients' positive experiences indicate that they adapt to their new lives through an evolving process. Based on this process, we provide design implications for health technologies to support and promote positive experiences during illness and treatment.