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The parent between the child and the professional--some ethical implications
I Kristensson-Hallström1, T Nilstun
1Department of Paediatric Surgery, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Parental involvement in pediatric surgery care presents ethical challenges. Healthcare professionals should actively listen to and respect parental concerns to improve patient and family experiences during hospitalization.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Pediatric Surgery
- Patient-Centered Care
Background:
- Parental participation in pediatric care is crucial but involves complex ethical considerations.
- Understanding parental experiences during a child's hospitalization is vital for improving care quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the ethical implications of parental participation in pediatric surgical care.
- To identify problematic situations encountered by parents during their child's hospitalization and surgery.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving interviews with 20 parents.
- Data collected from parents whose children underwent surgery in a pediatric surgery department in Sweden.
- Analysis of parental experiences focusing on problematic situations during hospitalization.
Main Results:
- Parents experienced distress when their autonomy and ability to influence care were limited.
- Challenges arose when children, due to fear or anxiety, could not consent to necessary procedures.
- Parents felt invalidated when professionals did not take their concerns or their child's situation seriously.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare professionals should foster a permissive attitude towards parental concerns.
- Attentive listening and respecting parental worries, when appropriate, can alleviate distress.
- Enhancing parental participation ethically requires acknowledging their role and validating their concerns.
Abstract:
In this paper ethical implications of parental participation in paediatric care are discussed. The paper is based on interviews with 20 parents, whose children were admitted and operated on at a paediatric surgery department in Sweden. In one part of the interview the parent was invited to speak about situations experienced as problematic during the hospitalization. Three different types of situations were described by the parents as especially problematic. In the first situation the parents' ability to influence their own situation was limited. Parents got upset when staff did not treat them as autonomous persons. In the second type of situation things 'had to be done' to the child, for example the surgery, the anaesthesia, removing an indwelling catheter and giving an enema. The parents understood and accepted this, but the child was sometimes unable to agree usually because of anxiety and fear. In the third type of situation parents felt that professionals did not take them or their child seriously. In order to avoid or alleviate such situations, the professionals ought to mediate a permissive attitude to the expressions of concern. Thus, when the parents worry, the professionals ought to listen more attentively and, whenever possible and adequate, respect their concerns.