To conduct a narrative review of the current research on parent decision making about pediatric treatments and identify areas in need of further investigation. Methods Articles presenting original research on parent decision making were identified from MEDLINE (1966–6/2011), using the terms “decision making,” “parent,” and “child.”
Full Answer
Do parents want to be involved in decisions about their child's health?
Previous studies report that parents want to be involved in decisions about their child's health care to varying forms and degrees of involvement and this desire may change over time (Aarthun & Akerjordet, 2014 ).
Can substituted judgment be used in pediatric decision-making?
Although commonly used in adult practice, substituted judgment is an uncommon standard for decision-making in the pediatric setting. An exception occurs when mature adolescents, usually those with chronic diseases, have expressed wishes about goals of care before deterioration of cognitive function.
What has changed in the conceptualization of parental involvement?
Moreover, this new conceptualization of parental involvement has led to significant changes in the role of both HPs and parents (Aarthun & Akerjordet, 2014 ), which may be challenging to implement in clinical settings.
How do parents cope with the parental role in the hospital?
Accordingly, the parents' ability to cope with the parental role in the hospital appeared to be strengthened by promoting their perception of life as meaningful, comprehensible and manageable; their sense of coherence, when involving parents in children's healthcare decisions.
My Profile
The email address and/or password entered does not match our records, please check and try again.
Society
Login failed. Please check you selected the correct society from the list and entered the user name and password you use to log in to your society website.
Full Article
Did you struggle to get access to this article? This product could help you
Cite
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click on download.
How does parental involvement in healthcare affect the health care decisions of children?
This study gives unique insight into how parental involvement in children's healthcare decisions influence parents' ability to cope with the parental role at the hospital. The results showed that parents' competence and perceived influence and control over their child's health care appeared to affect how they mastered their role of involvement in decision-making. Individually tailored and respectful facilitation of parental involvement in these decisions by health professionals seemed to improve parents' influence, control and ability to cope with the parental role. Nurses should thus strengthen parents' sense of coherence enhancing the quality of health care.
Why were parents concerned about their child's health care?
This was particularly when the parents felt lack of continuing of health care , which led to increased stress, concern and insecurity.
What is the lack of parental competence in DM?
Lack of parental competence and insufficient information from the HPs appeared to make the parental role of involvement in DM demanding. This was related to the parents' knowledge and understanding of their child's health condition, needs and health care, which depended on their previous experiences, perceived stress and respect for the HPs' competence. In addition, some parents' lack of knowledge about the Norwegian health services and culture seemed to negatively influence their involvement in their child's healthcare decisions.
How did HPs influence parental involvement in DM?
Furthermore, HPs' facilitation of parental involvement in DM seemed to influence how the parents perceived their level of control, influence in decisions and empowerment. This indicates that HPs' facilitation of parental involvement influenced parents' manageability of the parental role. One mother described her opportunity to be involved in DM about her child's care as the following:
What is a demanding parental role?
A demanding parental role. “You become involved and informed and you can calm yourself because you understand that they are doing what is best for your child.”. Parental involvement in decision-making increase parents' sense of security and control of their child's health care. Parental involvement.
Why do parents feel emotional distress?
Moreover, several parents experience emotional distress because of their child's health condition, which may hinder their involvement (Jackson et al., 2008; Tallon, Kendall, & Snider, 2015 ). Accordingly, parents seem to be in a particularly vulnerable situation in their role as user representatives of their children.
Can parents participate in DM?
In addition, parents have a legal right to participate in DM to customize their child's health care. This implies that parents have the opportunity to be involved in and influence the DM concerning individual modifications to their child's care, examinations and treatments.