Provider Resources
Jack’s Basket is committed to celebrating babies with Down syndrome by impacting how their stories begin. We are here to equip you with the tools and resources you need to deliver a Down syndrome diagnosis in an accurate, empathic, and unbiased way, in hopes that families will be encouraged to celebrate their pregnancy and their baby like any other. As a part of our mission we:
1.
Equip providers with tools to communicate the diagnosis accurately without bias through provider-to-provider training, medical modules, and peer-reviewed journal publications.
2.
Encourage providers to recognize the critical role they play in a family’s story and to reshape these discussions from “breaking bad news” to “sharing unexpected news.”
3.
Reframe the narrative around Down syndrome by sharing stories of families who overwhelmingly come to view their child’s diagnosis with positivity and optimism, even after experiencing shock or grief when first learning of the diagnosis.
How to Deliver Unexpected News
This resource outlines the seven strategies to reframe the “breaking bad news” paradigm. Adapted from When Bad News Isn’t Necessarily Bad (Carroll, C., Pediatrics. June 2018).
Diagnosis Resources Summary
Help us distribute these resources to providers in your network! This card summarizes our resources and directs providers back to this library.
Jack’s Basket Brochure
This 8-page brochure includes stories of impact from families and providers who have been changed by our work, outlines our diagnosis advocacy and basket delivery programs, and offers ways to get involved in our mission. This is a great resource to share with people new to Jack’s Basket! Help us spread the word!
Become a Champion
Printed versions of each of these materials are available in our medical resource packets. You can request a complimentary packet.
"Jack’s Basket has positively impacted so many of my patients and their families by celebrating the birth of babies with Down syndrome and providing support, up-to-date information and community resources to parents at the time of diagnosis. Carissa does an exceptional job speaking to medical team members in a narrative fashion, telling the story of Jack’s arrival in such a way that you can picture yourself there. She brings light to the parent’s perspective of how the medical team impacts families’ experiences at the time of diagnosis, and in turn reflects on what parents would benefit from hearing."
Jack's Basket Provider Resources
“I have some bad news” – When Unexpected News Isn’t Always Bad
At Jack’s Basket, we are reframing the ‘breaking bad news’ paradigm in the healthcare community.
Our implicit biases may cause us to share unexpected news as objectively bad and research shows that families would not say a Down syndrome diagnosis is bad, it’s simply unexpected.
Strategies for Providers in Sharing the Diagnosis of Down syndrome: Video
The story starts for families when the diagnosis is given. This video highlights the work of Jack’s Basket by providing strategies for medical clinicians to use when sharing the diagnosis of Down syndrome with new families.
Video Abstract for Pediatrics Journal Publication July 2018
Recognizing Provider Bias When Sharing Unexpected News: Article
“In this article, we will share a family’s journey that highlights where these 2 concepts (breaking bad news and implicit bias) often intersect. Our purpose is to shine a light on an important lesson for providers: that often we bring our own biases to the table when we frame news as “bad” when ultimately, from a family’s perspective, it may not be bad at all.
The Art of Medicine: Expanding our Toolkits in the Art of Communication – Self Assessment
This tool is only available for ABP members with an ABP account. To access the module:
1 – Log-in to your ABP Portfolio
2 – Click on Activity Search
3 – Click on Self Assessment Part 2 Search
4 – Search “Art of Medicine’“ to find Part 2 Activity
This module is approved for Maintenance of Certification points.
Additional Training for Medical Professionals
Health Supervision for Children and Adolescents With Down Syndrome
From the American Academy of Pediatrics | Clinical Report | Updated May 2022
“I have some bad news” – When Unexpected News Isn’t Always Bad
The Lettercase National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Resources is part of the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute.