Ethics and shared decision-making in paediatric occupational therapy practice

Sharing information and decisions with children and their parents is critical in pediatric rehabilitation. Although the ethical significance and clinical benefits of sharing decisions are established, approaches for implementing shared decision-making in clinical practice are still developing.

To explore the ethical challenges of sharing information and decisions with one family in pediatric occupational therapy.

We used a single qualitative in-depth interview with an occupational therapist to examine the ethical dimensions of sharing decisions.

We found that asking what was ethically at stake in the information-sharing process, highlighted how timing and style of information sharing impacts on understanding and collaboration within the therapeutic relationship. Using ethics-based questions assisted in drawing out the complexity of implementing the ideals of sharing information and decisions in pediatric practice.

Reflecting on ethical dimensions of communication with families assists to identify approaches to shared decision-making in clinical practice.