Introduce paediatric palliative care and refer at diagnosis — OSCE

Candidate brief

You have this station to introduce paediatric palliative care to the parents of a 6-year-old newly diagnosed with relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma, correct the misconception that palliative care means giving up, explain the parallel-care model and what the team will do, and make the referral. Treat this as a communication and decision-making encounter: acknowledge the family's fear, reframe palliative care as an added layer that runs alongside cancer treatment, name the four domains of suffering, and demonstrate that the palliative referral and any resuscitation decision are separate. ^{[4] [5]}