The Default Position: Optimizing Pediatric Participation in Medical Decision Making

A qualitative study of patient and family experiences in adolescents with varicoceles: A focus on fertility, self-esteem, and sexual function

BACKGROUND

A varicocele is an abnormal dilation of the pampiniform plexus of veins in the scrotum that commonly affects postpubertal males. The condition has been associated with male infertility, testicular hypotrophy, and pain. However, the clinical experiences of adolescent patients and their families regarding the evaluation, surveillance, and management of varicoceles have not been previously examined.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the patient's and family's experiences of varicocele diagnosis and subsequent management to better understand the salient factors impacting decision-making and care.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients and their families between August 2022 and January 2023. A total of 39 participants (16 adolescent males and 23 parents) were recruited following varicocele diagnosis and treatment at an urban, tertiary care hospital in California. Purposive sampling was adopted for the recruitment of participants through medical record screening to identify eligibility. Utilizing a modified grounded theory approach through the use of constant comparison and memo writing, the analysis consisted of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, resulting in the production of core concepts and categories.

RESULTS

Results demonstrate that parents and adolescents can benefit from improved understanding and education about long-term expectations during the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent varicoceles. Qualitative analysis indicates: 1) parents and adolescents have common concerns regarding fertility; however, this is exacerbated by the complexity of medical decision-making being dependent on adolescent and parental understanding of the full scope of varicocele impacts and outcomes, and 2) the psychosocial impact of a varicocele on adolescent self-esteem and sexual function are significant drivers for seeking care, which often manifested through discussions on masculinity through notions of 'manhood' and future sexual performance.

DISCUSSION

Discussions with patients and families largely focused on their concerns regarding fertility, sexual function, and aesthetics (impacting self-esteem); however, their primary concern was for the need for more accurate and comprehensive information, which includes the natural history of the condition and the full scope of treatment options. Future studies should examine the experiences of patients and families from diverse backgrounds and geographic locations to identify potential differences in experiences.

CONCLUSION

Findings identified the need for potential improvement in communication between pediatric urologists and families to alleviate anxiety and uncertainty among patients and families and empower them to make informed decisions about their care.

Adolescents' healthcare decisional capacity in the clinical context: a theoretical study and model

OBJECTIVE

To provide a theoretical study and model for the bioethical foundations of the factors that influence adolescents' healthcare decisional capacity.

SOURCES

Materials from diverse sources, including indexed articles in recognized databases and official government documents, were examined for a purposefully selected sample. The research consisted of two stages: selection of documents and reflective thematic analysis, followed by the preparation of a report. The analysis adopted a phenomenological stance and a reflective view compatible with human rights. To reduce bias and ensure the robustness of the results, measures such as data triangulation were employed. Ethical measures were taken to ensure data integrity, including considerations of anonymity and conflicts of interest in the selected studies.

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

It was possible to list intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the adolescent patient that influence their decisional capacity regarding health. A theoretical model was developed to discuss these factors for evaluation by means of an infographic.

CONCLUSIONS

It seems clear that the evaluation of healthcare decisional capacity of adolescents must position itself ethically regarding the tension between the moral duty to respect the self-determination of the able subject and the need to protect adolescents decidedly unable to make a specific health decision at a given time.

Pediatric Advance Care Planning and Adolescent Preparedness and Quality of Life: An RCT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of Family-Centered Advance Care Planning for Teens With Cancer (FACE-TC) on adolescents' quality of life.

METHODS

A clinical trial randomized adolescent-family dyads at a 2:1 ratio to either FACE-TC or control. FACE-TC dyads received 3 weekly 60-minute sessions: Lyon Pediatric Advance Care Planning Survey; Next Steps: Respecting Choices; and Five Wishes. Generalized mixed-effect models evaluated efficacy at 3, 6, and 12 months after intervention measured by FACIT-SP-Ex-V4 (meaning/peace, faith) and PROMIS pediatric (anxiety; depressive symptoms; pain interference, fatigue). Fisher exact tests assessed decisional support and preparedness.

RESULTS

Adolescents (n = 126) were mean age 17 years, 57% female, and 79% white. No significant differences were found between groups for faith or meaning/peace. At 12 months after intervention compared to control, FACE-TC increased anxiety (mean ratio 1.14; CI 1.04-1.25), depressive symptoms (mean ratio 1.12; CI 1.02-1.22), and pain interference (mean ratio 1.10; CI 1.00-1.20), but not at 3 or 6 months. FACE-TC increased fatigue at 3 months (mean ratio 1.13; CI 1.02-1.26), but not at 6 or 12 months. Compared to control, adolescents participating in FACE-TC agreed that "I feel prepared for the future" (76% vs 94%) and "I feel we are now on the same page" (76% vs 94%) at 3 months, but not at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no significant differences in quality of life between groups until 1 year, except for fatigue. FACE-TC had late effects, increasing adolescents' anxiety, depressive symptoms, and pain interference. Reassessment at 1 year is clinically important.

Ethics in Pediatric Decision-Making and Application Process: A Clinical Perspective

Decision-making capacity in pediatric health care is crucial for upholding ethical practices and protecting patient autonomy. It involves a patient's ability to understand the benefits, risks, and alternatives of a proposed treatment or intervention, demonstrate understanding, appreciate the consequences, reason clearly, and communicate their wishes. Informed consent and assent are essential concepts in pediatric decision-making, ensuring that patients, including children, clearly understand their treatment options, and voluntarily agree to them. The involvement of children in medical decisions should be proportional to their developmental stage, with adolescents having more autonomy in health care decisions.

Pediatric Assent in Clinical Practice: A Critical Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

This study assesses how pediatric assent is conceptualized and justified within the therapeutic context. Pediatric ethicists generally agree that children should participate in medical care decisions in developmentally appropriate ways. Much attention has been paid to pediatric assent for research participation, but ambiguities persist in how assent is conceptualized and operationalized in the therapeutic context where countervailing considerations such as the child's best interest and parental permission must also be weighed.

METHODS

Searches were conducted in 11 databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Articles published between 2010 and 2020 were screened in COVIDENCE for meeting each of four criteria: (1) focusing on pediatric assent, (2) focusing on clinical care, (3) including normative claims, and (4) containing substantive statements about the meaning of pediatric assent. Full texts were abstracted for (1) operational definitions of assent, (2) discussion of the temporal nature of assent, (3) description of the concept of "understanding," and (4) ethical justifications for soliciting assent. These excerpts were coded and code patterns formed themes presented in the results.

RESULTS

The final analytic data set contained 29 articles. Analysis yielded three key themes. First, valid assent varies by treatment, population (e.g., younger versus older), and geographic/cultural context. Second, assent represents two distinct longitudinal processes: One involves eliciting preferences over a disease course or care episode; the other focuses on children's developmental maturation. Third, ethical justifications for assent draw variously on instrumental and intrinsic reasons, but often remain ambiguous.

CONCLUSIONS

There is widespread agreement that assent is morally valuable, but there remain substantial ambiguities or disagreements about its meaning, process, and ethical justification.

Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Medical Decision-Making for Ostomy Surgery in Pediatric IBD: Themes from Focus Groups

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic illness where patients may undergo ostomy surgery. Medical decision-making (MDM) for ostomy surgery is complex for patients/families and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals (HCPs) alike, with current uncertainty about how multidisciplinary HCPs think about ostomy care to inform future interventions to facilitate equitable multidisciplinary care for patients. This study sought to understand pediatric IBD multidisciplinary HCPs' perceptions regarding ostomy-related MDM and education. Multidisciplinary HCPs (e.g., gastroenterology medical providers, social workers, surgeons, and ostomy nurses) participated in semi-structured focus groups. Focus group data underwent qualitative analysis to identify themes. Three multidisciplinary focus groups were conducted, with n = 12 participants across all groups. Qualitative analysis identified three main themes, including (1) HCP perceptions of ostomies, (2) Patient/family-related factors, and (3) Professional roles and collaboration challenges. Ostomy surgery in pediatric IBD requires complex multidisciplinary MDM and education. Perspectives of multidisciplinary HCPs identified patient, HCP, and systems factors that may impact MDM for ostomy surgery. This work highlights nuances in MDM and education in IBD, and the critical role of ongoing research and improved standardized processes to coordinate multidisciplinary ostomy-related MDM and education in this population.

Children and adolescents living with HIV: participatory health care proposal

OBJECTIVE

To present a proposal for participatory health care based on the Human Rights of children and adolescents living with HIV.

METHOD

Qualitative study with participatory approach that used the Sensitive Creative Method. The participants were 16 health professionals from three Specialized Care Services in southern Brazil. Data were submitted to Discourse Analysis in the French current.

RESULTS

The first thematic category highlighted the perspectives on the right to participation as a new meaning in the science of care. The second category revealed the construction of a participatory care proposal by health professionals, that can be implemented in the daily practice of teamsin six moments.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

The implementation has the potential to promote the legitimacy of the right to participation and, consequently, the qualification of health care.

Children's assent within clinical care: A concept analysis

Seeking children's assent has been put forward as a way to foster children's involvement in the healthcare decision-making process. However, the functions of the concept of assent within clinical care are manifold, and methods used to recognize children's capacities and promote their involvement in their care remain debated. We performed an instrumentalist concept analysis of assent, with 58 included articles. Final themes were jointly identified through a deliberative process. Two distinct perspectives of assent were predominant: as an affirmative agreement for a specific decision and as part of a continuous, interactive process of care. Differing standards were provided as to how and when to apply the concept of assent. The concept of dissent was largely omitted from conceptions of assent, especially in situations for which children's refusal would lead to severe health consequences. Ethical implications included fostering autonomy, reducing physical/psychological harm to the child, respecting the child as a human being, and fulfilling the universal rights of the child. There remain important gaps in the theory of assent and its desirable and possible practical implications. Practical standards are largely missing, and evidence supporting the claims made in the literature requires further investigation.

Pediatric patient engagement in clinical care, research and intervention development: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

In the last decades, pediatric patient engagement has received growing attention and its importance is increasingly acknowledged. Pediatric patient engagement in health care can be defined as the involvement of children and adolescents in the decision-making of daily clinical care, research and intervention development. Although more attention is paid to pediatric patient engagement, a comprehensive overview of the activities that have been done regarding pediatric patient engagement and the changes over time is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide an overview of the literature about pediatric patient engagement.

METHODS

The methodological framework of Arksey & O'Malley was used to conduct this scoping review. The bibliographic databases Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched for eligible articles. All retrieved articles were screened by at least two researchers in two steps. Articles were included if they focused on pediatric patient engagement, were carried out in the context of clinical care in pediatrics, and were published as full text original article in English or Dutch. Data (year of publication, country in which the study was conducted, disease group of the participants, setting of pediatric patient engagement, used methods, and age of participants) were extracted, synthesized, and tabulated.

RESULTS

A total of 288 articles out of the 10,714 initial hits met the inclusion criteria. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of studies that engage pediatric patients. Pediatric patients, especially patients with multiple conditions or oncology patients, were most involved in studies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Pediatric patients were most often asked to express their views on questions from daily clinical care and the individual interview was the most used method. In general, the extent to which pediatric patients are engaged in health care increases with age.

DISCUSSION

This scoping review shows that there is an increasing interest in pediatric patient engagement. However, lack of uniformity about the definition of pediatric patient engagement and clear information for clinicians hinders engagement. This overview can inform clinicians and researchers about the different ways in which pediatric patient engagement can be shaped and can guide them to engage pediatric patients meaningfully in their projects.

Chapitre 3. On some issues of ensuring the rights of minor patients in Russian medical law: ethical and legal aspects of autonomy

Patient autonomy as a fundamental principle of modern bioethics is considered in the context of the legal status of a minor in medical law. The authors discuss the specifics of the autonomy of a minor patient, which is determined by the age factor. The following international legal standards defining the bioethical foundations of the legal status of a minor in the medical field are considered: the right to informed voluntary consent, the right to information and confidentiality. The content of the legal concept of “autonomy of a minor patient” is revealed. The autonomy of a minor patient is considered by the authors as the ability to act and make health-related decision independently, and is presented in several aspects: first, the ability to seek medical help; second, the right to provide information in an accessible form; third, the right to decide on consent or refusal of medical intervention; fourth, the right to confidentiality. Foreign experience is provided and features of fixing the principle of autonomy of a minor in Russian legislation in the field of health care are analyzed. Main problems of implementing of the principle of patient autonomy and directions for further research in this area are outlined.

Pediatric Shared Decision-Making for Simple and Complex Decisions: Findings From a Delphi Panel

OBJECTIVE

To develop recommendations for pediatric shared decision-making (SDM).

METHODS

We conducted a Delphi method study from 2020 to 2021 with an international panel (n = 21) of clinicians, researchers, and parents with expertise in pediatric SDM. We conducted semistructured interviews to identify the key processes of pediatric SDM. We coded the interviews using content analysis and developed a questionnaire on the potential processes of pediatric SDM. Using a Likert scale, panelists evaluated each process twice, once for simple decisions and once for complex decisions. Panelists were provided with a summary of the results and evaluated each process again. The processes that were agreed on for simple and complex decisions were reported as "fundamental processes." The processes that were agreed on for complex decisions were reported as "additional processes."

RESULTS

A total of 79 recommendations were developed, including 29 fundamental processes and 14 additional processes for complex decisions. A recurring theme was the importance of personalizing the decision-making process. For example, the panel recommended that physicians should assess the family and child's desired roles in the decision-making process, assess their desired level of directiveness, and elicit and clarify their values, preferences, and goals. The panel also disagreed on several subprocesses, such as how to determine the child's role and the appropriate level of directiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

An international expert panel developed recommendations for pediatric SDM for both simple and complex decisions. The recommendations highlight the importance of personalizing the decision-making process.

Including the voice of paediatric patients: Cocreation of an engagement game

Background

Engaging patients in health care, research and policy is essential to improving patient‐important health outcomes and the quality of care. Although the importance of patient engagement is increasingly acknowledged, clinicians and researchers still find it difficult to engage patients, especially paediatric patients. To facilitate the engagement of children and adolescents in health care, the aim of this project is to develop an engagement game.

Methods

A user‐centred design was used to develop a patient engagement game in three steps: (1) identification of important themes for adolescents regarding their illness, treatment and hospital care, (2) evaluation of the draft version of the game and (3) testing usability in clinical practice. Adolescents (12–18 years) were engaged in all steps of the development process through focus groups, interviews or a workshop. These were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed in MAXQDA.

Results

(1) The important themes for adolescents (N = 15) were included: visiting the hospital, participating, disease and treatment, social environment, feelings, dealing with staff, acceptation, autonomy, disclosure and chronically ill peers. (2) Then, based on these themes, the engagement game was developed and the draft version was evaluated by 13 adolescents. Based on their feedback, changes were made to the game (e.g., adjusting the images and changing the game rules). (3) Regarding usability, the pilot version was evaluated positively. The game helped adolescents to give their opinion. Based on the feedback of adolescents, some last adjustments (e.g., changing colours and adding a game board) were made, which led to the final version of the game, All Voices Count.

Conclusions

Working together with adolescents, All Voices Count, a patient engagement game was developed. This game provides clinicians with a tool that supports shared decision‐making to address adolescents' wishes and needs.

Patient or Public Contribution

Paediatric patients, clinicians, researchers, youth panel of Fonds NutsOhra and patient associations (Patient Alliance for Rare and Genetic Diseases, Dutch Childhood Cancer Organization) were involved in all phases of the development of the patient engagement game—from writing the project plan to the final version of the game.

Behavioral Management as a Coping Strategy for Managing Stressors in Primates: The Influence of Temperament and Species

Primates involved in biomedical research experience stressors related to captivity, close contact with caregivers, and may be exposed to various medical procedures while modeling clinical disease or interventions under study. Behavioral management is used to promote behavioral flexibility in less complex captive environments and train coping skills to reduce stress. How animals perceive their environment and interactions is the basis of subjective experience and has a major impact on welfare. Certain traits, such as temperament and species, can affect behavioral plasticity and learning. This study investigated the relationship between these traits and acquisition of coping skills in 83 macaques trained for cooperation with potentially aversive medical procedures using a mixed-reinforcement training paradigm. All primates successfully completed training with no significant differences between inhibited and exploratory animals, suggesting that while temperament profoundly influences behavior, training serves as an important equalizer. Species-specific differences in learning and motivation manifested in statistically significant faster skill acquisition in rhesus compared with cynomolgus macaques, but this difference was not clinically relevant. Despite unique traits, primates were equally successful in learning complex tasks and displayed effective coping. When animals engage in coping behaviors, their distress decreases, improving welfare and reducing inter- and intra- subject variability to enhance scientific validity.

Chronically ill children's participation and health outcomes in shared decision-making: a scoping review

Based on the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (CRC), it is a child's right to participate in all matters concerning its wellbeing. Little is known about chronically and/or critically ill children's participation in pediatric shared decision-making (SDM). We explored medical literature to see if and how these children participate in pediatric SDM. We searched relevant medical databases published between January 2008 and January 2020 for studies targeting children aged 4-18 years old, suffering from a chronic and/or critical disease. We found 9 relevant studies. SDM interventions mostly used were decision aids (n=8), questionnaires for caretakers/parents and children (n=4), and a SDM toolkit (n=2). Perceived involvement in SDM and knowledge increased amongst children, adolescents, and caretakers following these interventions. Decisional conflict measured using the 0-100 point DCS scale (higher scores indicate more decisional conflict) was reduced by 15.9 points in one study (p<0.01) and 17.8 points in another (95%CI: 13.3-22.9). Lower scores were associated with higher satisfaction with the decision aid by children, caretakers, and clinicians.Conclusion: Stakeholders should advocate initiatives to facilitate a child's participation preferences regarding pediatric SDM since decision support tools help chronically ill children to be more involved in SDM as they increase the children's knowledge and satisfaction and reduce decisional conflicts. What is Known: • Decision aids can help improve participation, knowledge, satisfaction, and health outcomes. • Quality and consistency of the information exchange impact quality and outcome of SDM. What is New: • Depending on a child's age, evolving capacities, and communication and participation preferences, more evidence is needed on which tools are suitable for chronically ill children to ensure their preferred participation in pediatric SDM. • Pediatricians adopt healthcare SDM tools and techniques that do not always take into account that a child's right to participate in pediatric SDM including the tendency to use interventions that are not specifically designed for pediatrics.

Use of language in the medical decision-making process for biologic therapy: Youth and parent perspectives

BACKGROUND

Youth with chronic illnesses and their parents make complex medical decisions and also need to develop medical decision-making skills for transition of care to adult care. The use of inclusive (e.g. 'we decided …') and exclusive (e.g. 'they decided …') language in youth and parents' medical decision-making experiences provides insights into perceptions of engagement. This study assessed youth and parents' perceptions of engagement in medical decision-making about biologic therapy.

METHODS

This exploratory mixed-methods secondary analysis of semistructured interview data included youth with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and Crohn's disease (CD) and parents. Iterative qualitative coding of interviews generated themes. Exploratory analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) investigated differences in language use between youth and parents.

RESULTS

Parents used more inclusive language in perceptions of medical decision-making experiences than youth, which exploratory analyses found significant (p < 0.05). Youth used more exclusive language than parents in perceptions of medical decision-making.

CONCLUSION

This research suggests that youth with chronic illnesses perceived limited engagement in medical decision-making, with parents perceiving higher engagement. This presents challenges for youth as they prepare for the transition to adult care. Future research should assess how inclusive and exclusive language use impacts psychosocial and health outcomes.

Consent for Research on Violence against Children: Dilemmas and Contradictions

The increasing visibility of violence involving children has led to a recognition of the need to research its underlying dynamics. As a result, we now have a better understanding of the complexities involved in this kind of research, associated with children’s developmental characteristics and social status, exposure to violence, and compromised parenting of caregivers. This paper discusses the issues raised by parental consent in research on violence against children, specifically the dilemma of children’s rights to participation and protection, and proposes changes in research practice in this domain.

Parents' experiences of an e-health intervention implemented in pediatric healthcare: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The growing field of participation in healthcare has the potential to provide a number of benefits for children, patients, healthcare professionals and also the healthcare systems. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children have the right to participate in their own healthcare and make their voice heard. Children's opportunities for understanding their conditions, sharing their views and participating in decisions regarding their care depend on healthcare professionals but also on parents' ability to communicate and include children. E-health solutions can remove barriers to children's communication with healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore parents' perspectives on the outcomes of an e-health solution, Sisom, used by children during healthcare appointments.

METHODS

The empirical data is based on interviews with 16 parents. In the present study constructivist, grounded theory was chosen as the method.

RESULTS

The theory of enhancing participation, by orientating communication about healthcare towards the voice of the child instead of the parents, summarizes the process of how the outcome of Sisom for children lead to enhanced participation, by making the child the main actor and an agent in his/her own healthcare. The facilitators for achieving participation in Sisom were four interrelated outcomes; engaging, voice-guarding, raising awareness and integrity preserving. In addition to generating increased participation, it emerged that the use of Sisom also initiated a process, which was evident in all four subcategories that facilitated the child in coping with the experience of having an illness.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude, that Sisom orientated communication about healthcare towards the voice of the child instead of the parents as well as including the child in the dialogue with the healthcare professional and thus increasing the child's participation and human rights.

Failure to Provide Adequate Palliative Care May Be Medical Neglect

Doctors are required to notify Child Protective Services (CPS) if parents do not provide appropriate medical care for their children. But criteria for reporting medical neglect are vague. Which treatments properly fall within the realm of shared decision-making in which parents can decide whether to accept doctors' recommendations? Which treatments are so clearly in the child's interest that it would be neglectful to refuse them? When to report medical neglect concerns to CPS may be controversial. It would seem inhumane to allow a child to suffer because of parental refusal to administer proper analgesia. In this ethics rounds, we present a case of an adolescent with chronic pain who is terminally ill. Her parents were not adherent to recommended analgesia regimens. Her palliative care team had to decide whether to report the case to CPS.