ISSUES AND INNOVATIONS IN NURSING PRACTICE Mothers ’ evolving relationships with doctors and nurses during the

Mothers ’ evolving relationships with doctors and nurses during the chronic childhood illness trajectory Aims. In this paper the evolution of mothers ’ relationships with doctors and nurses during the chronic childhood illness trajectory is explored and discussed and the implications for child health care are considered. The discussion reports one aspect of a qualitative study that sought to determine whether time of diagnosis influenced mothers ’ coping across the illness trajectory. Background. The quality of relationships between mothers, who are usually the primary carers, and nursing and medical staff is central to the experience of coping with chronic childhood illness. Mothers need to develop expertise in a wide range of technical skills and knowledge of complex health care issues, while also coming to terms with the uncertainty of a condition with an unpredictable trajectory. Attempts to understand the significance of relationships between those living with chronic illness and staff have highlighted a number of factors that may influence the degree to which they are viewed as satisfactory. The way staff communicate with familie