[Ethical and legal aspects at the emergency department]

OBJECTIVE: To discuss ethical and legal aspects of physicianś attitudes in emergency departments under the light of Braziĺs codes and laws.METHODS: The authors raise questions based upon case reports and comment using the medical ethical code, laws that protect children and adolescents, hospitalized children and adolescents rights statement and medical federal council decisions.RESULTS: The authors discuss child patients' rights and the parents disclosure right; the problem of domestic violence and abuse and the physician duty to denunciate this kind of practice for the child security and protection; the medical responsability even under workplace adverse conditions, as well as the concerns related to transportation of patients to another hospital; the dilemma between withholding and withdrawing life support measures at the emergency department and the prohibition to certificate death in violent death situations; the autonomy and decision-making capa-city of adolescent patients and their limitations, including violation of confidentiality.CONCLUSIONS: The commentaries presented in the article try to explain to the pediatrician how to identify ethical and legal conflicts in the emergency department and to prepare him (her) to assume attitudes based on codes and legal statements, as well as to respect the patient's rights.