Children should be more involved in healthcare decisions that affect them
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Imelda Coyne, Trinity College Dublin
Few people would disagree that children have a right to participate in matters that affect them. But in hospitals this right seems to be waived. My research at hospitals in Ireland revealed that children find it difficult to have their views heard.
The children said that doctors and nurses were “nice” and “kind”, but some tended to carry out medical procedures without seeking their opinions or telling them beforehand. Some parents helped children to be included in talks about their care, but other parents answered questions on their behalf, told them to stay quiet and withheld information from them. Some parents also told their child to stay quiet and not annoy the doctor or nurse. Being excluded from discussions made some children feel sad, frustrated and angry. As one 14-year-old girl put it: “It made me feel like a piece of machinery; they weren’t actually talking to me.”
Big and small decisions
Childre...
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