Pitt Pediatrics congratulates Kelly Harris, MD, for her recent publication in PEC Innovation titled, “An Observational Study of Dialogue about Uncertainty in Clinician-Family Counseling Conversations Following Prenatal Diagnosis of Complex Congenital Heart Disease.” Harris is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine in our Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care whose current research focuses on clinician-parent communication at the time of prenatal diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease. 
Other Pitt affiliated researchers on this paper include Kelsey Schweiberger, MD, MS (Division of General Academic Pediatrics), Robert Arnold, MD (General Internal Medicine), Jessica Merlin, MD, PhD, (General Internal Medicine), and Judy C. Chang, MD, MPH (Obstetrics and Gynecology).
In this research, Harris et al. aimed to examine clinician-family conversations during initial fetal cardiology consultations to identify particular topics of uncertainty regarding complex congenital heart disease (cCHD). In order to address the severe psychological distress and uncertainties families often experience during this time, the team recorded initial fetal cardiology consultations, transcribed them verbatim, and then coded them for themes associated with uncertainty.
Across 19 consultations, results demonstrated that the average discussion length was 37 minutes, with only 11% of words spoken by families. Family-initiated discussion largely focused on childbirth, pregnancy, and postpartum logistics, while the majority of all words spoken focused on prognosis, comorbidities, and related uncertainties.
Ultimately, Harris and her research team concluded that just over half of dialogue within these initial consultations focused on uncertainty surrounding prenatally diagnosed cCHD. In order to further optimize these discussions, future research should focus on gathering parent and clinician perspectives on the essential content of these conversations, as well as the ideal delivery of uncertainty-related topics.
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