Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 14, 2026

A Networked Desktop Virtual Reality Setup for Decision Science and Navigation Experiments with Multiple Participants
06:28

A Networked Desktop Virtual Reality Setup for Decision Science and Navigation Experiments with Multiple Participants

Published on: August 26, 2018

6.3K

The Default Position: Optimizing Pediatric Participation in Medical Decision Making

Aleksandra E Olszewski1, Sara F Goldkind2

  • 1a Seattle Children's Hospital.

The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB
|February 22, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Children should be included in medical decisions by default. This study proposes a systematic approach to guide clinicians on when and how to involve children in their healthcare choices, addressing a gap in current literature.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Healthcare
  • Medical Ethics
  • Clinical Decision-Making

Background:

  • Children's involvement in medical decision-making is ethically recommended but practically challenging for clinicians.
  • A structured method for assessing and implementing child participation in healthcare decisions is lacking in existing literature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a systematic, stepwise approach for determining when and how to include children in medical decision-making.
  • To provide a framework for clinicians to optimize child involvement in their healthcare.
  • To address the gap in the literature regarding a practical guide for child assent in medical contexts.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review on child participation in healthcare and related ethical/legal frameworks.
  • Development of a systematic approach based on the literature review.
  • Application of the proposed approach to analyze challenging clinical case studies involving adolescents.

Main Results:

  • A systematic approach for assessing child capacity and willingness to participate in medical decisions has been developed.
  • The approach integrates considerations from research assent, clinical care, and decision-making for adults with cognitive impairments.
  • Case studies illustrate the practical application of the proposed framework in complex scenarios.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed systematic approach offers a practical guide for clinicians to enhance children's involvement in medical decision-making.
  • Implementing this approach can help ensure children's voices are routinely heard in their healthcare, respecting their developing autonomy.
  • Further application and refinement of this framework can improve ethical and effective child-centered care.

Keywords:
assentautonomydecision makingethicspediatrics

More Related Videos

Lower Limb Biomechanical Analysis of Healthy Participants06:36

Lower Limb Biomechanical Analysis of Healthy Participants

Published on: April 15, 2020

9.7K
Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation11:19

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation

Published on: January 17, 2011

18.6K

Related Concept Videos

Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
1.0K
Positive Regulator Molecules01:45

Positive Regulator Molecules

To consistently produce healthy cells, the cell cycle—the process that generates daughter cells—must be precisely regulated.
136.5K
Inhaled Medications01:23

Inhaled Medications

Inhaled medications are crucial for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. They are essential for effective treatment and control, ensuring optimal respiratory health and well-being. Inhaled medication delivers drugs directly to the lungs, providing a rapid onset of action and reducing systemic side effects compared to oral or injectable medications. Three primary types of inhalation devices are used to administer these medications: nebulizers, metered-dose inhalers...
833
Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
7.1K
Decision Making: P-value Method01:09

Decision Making: P-value Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim  is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses:  a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...
7.0K
Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
14.0K