Empathic Communication in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.

Meta-aggregation yielded eight synthesized findings, including that empathic communication fosters relational trust (S1, S3), enhances prognostic understanding (S2), supports meaning-making (S7), and prevents communication failures that increase complicated grief risk (S5).

Narrative synthesis showed that better communication (β = -9.08, p = 0.03) and continuity of care (β = -11.74, p = 0.01) were associated with lower parental grief, while late information about imminent death increased unresolved grief risk (OR = 2.73; 95% CI: 1.02-7.33).