Ethical issues in Iranian pediatrics: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare Ethics
• Medical Professionalism
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Children are a vulnerable population requiring sensitive integration into healthcare systems.
• Pediatric care faces unique ethical challenges influenced by socio-cultural, economic, and religious factors.
• Iran lacks specific ethical frameworks for pediatric care, necessitating culturally tailored guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify ethical challenges in Iranian pediatric healthcare settings.
• To explore factors contributing to the emergence of these ethical challenges.
• To provide a foundation for developing culturally relevant ethical guidelines in Iran.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing grounded theory methodology.
• Interviews conducted with 39 healthcare practitioners.
• Data analyzed using Strauss-Corbin's (1998) open, axial, and selective coding phases.

Main Results:

• Identified key ethical challenges including insufficient physician-parent collaboration, lack of respect, and poor communication.
• Highlighted factors contributing to these challenges, with 'distorted professional identity' emerging as central.
• Extracted 1410 initial codes, 22 categories, and 6 axial codes explaining ethical dilemmas.

Conclusions:

• Ethical challenges in pediatric clinics are linked to inadequate moral education, weak management, and individual traits.
• Distorted professional identity significantly contributes to ethical dilemmas in pediatric medicine.
• Developing a conceptual model of professional identity is crucial for addressing ethical challenges in pediatrics.