Table 3 Proposals and strategies identified by the Pediatric Sound Group for the “Emotions management” phase

Emotions management (consensus 9.4)

• If the patient and their family have been treated by other physicians before, try to solve negative aspects of their experiences, without diminishing the work of others.

• If the child or his family is getting angry, continue with the physical visit and interrupt the speech to recover the calm.

• If the family share a problem (as divorce or grief) with you, comfort them and explain that their circumstance is common among patients and that this will not affect the relationship

• Adolescent patients must feel that they are the protagonists and that their experience is acknowledged

• If the patient (or family) smokes or is not adhering to the therapies, it is necessary to raise awareness of the severity of these actions with an understanding attitude.

• Ask for explanations of the behavior or if something is not clear, making explicit to the patient and family what hinders the relationships

• Choose the words to be used according to the interlocutor and respond to fears by presenting scientific data in an appropriate language

• Agree on actions with patients/parents

• Admit your emotional difficulty with colleagues by asking for support from a departmental psychologist or an evolutionary psychologist if you feel the need for it

• During the visit, avoid judging, imposing and simplifying.

• Never forbid the child anything (e. g. plush toys, pets, sports) but find a planned compromise with the child and their clinical situation.

• If parents belittle a problem, don’t load them with excessive emotional weight, but take them gently and over time to understand the situation.

• If the family or child makes points that are very important to them, do not underestimate their expectations.

• Do not respond to provocations and at the same time do not place yourself above the interlocutor, emphasizing the hierarchy.