Explanatory models in real-world clinical interactions at a pediatric cancer center in Guatemala

Explanatory models (EMs) are used in medical anthropology to characterize individual understandings of illness. This study investigated how interdisciplinary clinical interactions elicited caregiver EMs at a pediatric cancer center in Guatemala. This qualitative study included caregivers of 20 children with newly diagnosed cancer at Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica (UNOP) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. UNOP's diagnostic process includes social work intake, psychoeducation with a psychologist, and a diagnostic conversation with an oncologist and psychologist. Audio-recordings from the diagnostic process and a semi-structured interview were obtained, transcribed, and translated from Spanish. Transcripts were coded using a priori codes based on the five explanatory model (EM) components (occurrence, causation, pathophysiology, course of sickness, and treatment), as well as disease, and illness accounts. Thematic content analysis explored the EM framework as applied to diagnostic interactions between families and clinicians. All five components of the EM were addressed during the diagnostic process at UNOP. Clinicians, particularly psychologists, initiated conversation about the EM more than caregivers. When prompted, caregivers discussed all aspects of the EM but only rarely mentioned pathophysiology. Disease accounts were primarily described by clinicians, while caregivers used illness accounts to describe cancer causation. Clinicians validated existence of both disease and illness accounts. UNOP's interdisciplinary team elicited families' beliefs and facilitated in-depth discussion of all aspects of the EM, leading to a shared understanding of cancer and its treatment. Utilizing the EM framework in clinical practice may support culturally-competent pediatric cancer care.