Children’s Health
Empowering Children to Participate in their Health Care By Bethany Ziss, MD - AHN Pediatrics Bloomfield
What is the perfect time to empower kids to take a larger role in their own health care? Of course, we don’t drop off a toddler alone to calmly describe their symptoms of an ear infection and commit to a week of amoxicillin. But how does a child get from there to the point where they are a young adult who knows how to make an appointment and contact the pharmacy for refills? Learning to participate in health care decisions is a skill that increases with maturity and improves with practice. In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics section on Bioethics recommended that children be increasingly involved in discussions of informed consent as they develop. While children cannot “consent,” they can often agree, or “assent” to treatment decisions.
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AHN Pediatrics-Pediatric Alliance • Spring 2021 • www.ahnpediatrics.org
Sometimes I find parents are surprised when I speak directly with children about their experiences at school, trouble falling asleep, or trying medication for focus. Many of my patients have disabilities which affect learning and communication, which can make involvement in health care decisions more challenging. It’s a challenge worth taking. Starting at a young age, I often tell
