Parents’ and children’s involvement in decision-making during hospitalisation.

Different reasons are given as to why children and their parents should be involved in discussions and decisions regarding the child’s care. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child formulates the needs of children and young people in terms of human rights. Ethical duties of health professionals include the obligation to enhance their patients’ competence and ability to participate. The concepts of autonomy, integrity, competence, assent and consent are complex and sometimes difficult to relate to practice. However, they are essential in paediatric care. In earlier studies we observed 24 children and 35 parents during the child’s hospitalisation, and situations including a decision-making process were identified.Analysis included assessing and grading both children’s and parents’ involvement in decisions according to a five-level scale of different degrees of respect. The results emphasised that both children and parents had varying abilities to become involved in the decision-making process. Promoting children’s rights is one of the most important roles for the children’s nurse. Having a voice in decision-making helps the child to develop a sense of him-herself as a person and gives the parents a feeling that they are part of a team giving their child optimal care during hospitalisation