informed consent paeds

chrisrob · Aug 21, 2002

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also does anyone want to listen to these kids when they say no i dont want this or that

UK2USA · Apr 11, 2004

Firstly it depends on the child, the age, the maturity, the knowledge etc. It is a completely normal reaction for the parents of a child to want to explore and follow every avenue of treatment, but sometimes the child has had enough. Although the child is a minor, they should be shown the respect to talk out their fears and ask questions (and refuse treatment). However, this is a minefield and I would probably insist on a clinical psychologist talking to the family and to the child.

uk_nurse · Apr 11, 2004

a child under 16 can consent (depending on age and maturity) but can not refuse. If the child refuses its the parents who consent.Its the law im afraid. so looking into it a child can only say 'yes'

chantal · Feb 20, 2005

a new legal phrase has thus been added to the language. gillick competent means that a child(14-16) is considered to have the competence to make a decision in a specific set of circumstances. clearly the nature of the decision will determine the level of competence required for a valid decision to be made. but of course those kids who are totally dependent does not have a statutory right to give consent to or refuse treatment.

UK2USA · Mar 1, 2005

a new legal phrase has thus been added to the language. gillick competent means that a child(14-16) is considered to have the competence to make a decision in a specific set of circumstances. clearly the nature of the decision will determine the level of competence required for a valid decision to be made. but of course those kids who are totally dependent does not have a statutory right to give consent to or refuse treatment.

In fact, Gillick Competence can be attributed to any age of child, providing they have full mental competence and a realistic knowledge of prognosis and further treatment options. I have personally seen children that have been 'Gillick competent' as young as 11 y.o. One that springs to mind was a 12 year old who had been receiving treatment for leukaemia for an extended period of time and was on his 6th PICU admission. After meeting with the family and the child it was agreed to honour the child's wishes and he was allowed to die peacefully.