THE PARENT BETWEEN THE CHILD AND THE PROFESSIONAL - SOME ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS

In this paper ethical implications of parental participation in paedia tric care are discussed. The paper is based on interviews with 20 pare nts, whose children were admitted and operated on at a paediatric surg ery department in Sweden. In one part of the interview the parent was invited to speak about situations experienced as problematic during th e hospitalization. Three different types of situations were described by the parents as especially problematic. In the first situation the p arents' ability to influence their own situation was limited. Parents got upset when staff did not treat them as autonomous persons. In the second type of situation things 'had to be done' to the child, for exa mple the surgery, the anaesthesia, removing an indwelling catheter and giving an enema. The parents understood and accepted this, but the ch ild was sometimes unable to agree usually because of anxiety and fear. In the third type of situation parents felt that professionals did no t take them or their child seriously. In order to avoid or alleviate s uch situations, the professionals ought to mediate a permissive attitu de to the expressions of concern. Thus, when the parents worry, the pr ofessionals ought to listen more attentively and, whenever possible an d adequate, respect their concerns.