Addressing Suffering in Infants and Young Children Using the Concept of Suffering Pluralism

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Pediatric Care
• Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

• Suffering is central to medical care but poorly defined in infants and nonverbal children.
• Epistemic and normative challenges complicate the detection, treatment, and best interest determination of infant suffering.
• Disagreement on definitions fuels mistrust and allows biases to influence medical decisions for infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel concept, suffering pluralism, for a multidimensional understanding of infant suffering.
• To address the limitations in defining and addressing infant suffering in clinical settings.
• To enhance communication and reduce conflict in medical decision-making for unwell infants.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and philosophical argument.
• Development of the suffering pluralism framework.
• Exploration of subjective and objective components of infant well-being.

Main Results:

• Suffering pluralism is introduced as a multidimensional view encompassing subjective and objective aspects of infant suffering.
• The concept provides a more inclusive framework for understanding infant suffering.
• It aims to improve the weighing of subjective and objective components of well-being.

Conclusions:

• Suffering pluralism offers a novel approach to defining and addressing infant suffering.
• This framework can enhance clarity, consistency, and communication in medical decision-making for infants.
• Further exploration of critiques and limitations of suffering pluralism is warranted.