A handful of questions. Supporting parental decision making.

Advances in healthcare have improved the survival rates of children with serious health problems. Parents, relieved that their child is alive, often face the challenge of caring for a child with a chronic illness and must make healthcare decisions that have life-long consequences. Supporting parents through the decision-making process is a complex challenge for the advanced practice nurse. This article offers an original and dynamic decision-making assessment tool to help the advanced practice nurse provide effective evaluation and appropriate support for the parents. This "Handful of Questions" was created using a patient-oriented decision-making model by Pierce and the work of other decision-making researchers. The literature reviewed includes the topics of surrogate parental decision making and an examination of the relationship between the decision-maker and healthcare providers.