Decision-making in pediatrics: a practical algorithm to evaluate complementary and alternative medicine for children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare
• Bioethics
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Background:

• CAM is increasingly integrated into pediatric care, posing challenges for healthcare providers.
• Keeping abreast of CAM developments is difficult for pediatricians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a practical algorithm for evaluating pediatric CAM (P-CAM).
• To provide a decision-making tool for physicians regarding P-CAM.
• To ensure ethically sound counseling for P-CAM.

Main Methods:

• Development of a preliminary practical algorithm based on bioethical principles.
• Consideration of CAM's impact on global child healthcare.
• Application of the algorithm in clinical scenarios.

Main Results:

• The algorithm assists pediatricians in assessing potential harm from P-CAM.
• It facilitates ethically sound patient and family counseling.
• A clinical example demonstrates the algorithm's utility.

Conclusions:

• A pragmatic algorithm for evaluating P-CAM is proposed.
• The algorithm supports informed decision-making in pediatric CAM.
• Ethical considerations are central to managing P-CAM.