Table 4 Two sets of beliefs about the ethics of responding to children’s anxiety before elective surgery
Anxiety is mainly: | Physiological, behavioural | Social, emotional, reasonable |
|---|---|---|
If children resist, doctors should: | Continue interventions as quickly as possible | Allow time to negotiate |
Coercion and deception are: | Necessary if in child’s best interests | Not in child’s best interests |
Children’s best interests are: | To have surgery | To have surgery they can understand and cooperate with as much as possible |
Adults should: | Be in control | Inform, involve and support children as much as possible |
Laws on adult patients’ consent are: | Irrelevant to young children | Important guides and standards |