In the study of the paediatric cardiology unit (PCU) discussed earlier would have been tempting to follow other researcher (e.g. Byrne and Long, 1976) and to suggest that parent’ reported problems derive from inadequate communication skills. Our analysis suggested, however, that constraints of the setting and of the task at hand (speedy diagnosis treatment) meant that the first outpatients’ clinic had no space for parental concerns and that, in any event, many parent needed time to terms with what they were being told. If time was allowed to pass (for instance, parents had faced the questions of other anxious relatives had consulted popular medical manuals or the family physician) and family was invited to revisit the hospital, things might turn out different.