Medical Neglect Allegations in the Context of Conflicted Divorce/Separation Child Custody: What Should the Health...

Pediatricians and child health providers face with situation in which families disagree about recommended treatments. Managing these disagreements is more challenging during periods of divorce or separation particularly when parents are in dispute over custody or medical decision-making. Parental disagreement exists along a continuum. General principles apply 1) the worse the conflict, the worse the outcome for children, 2) when conflict is combined with other factors such as separation, the outcome is often worse, and 3) the pediatrician/primary health care provider can mitigate this. This manuscript provides a review of the subject and suggestions for the practicing provider.