Flashcards on Patient Preferences in Clinical Ethics

Patient Preferences in Clinical Ethics: A Student Guide

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Who is legally authorized to consent to medical care for infants and children?

The usual surrogates—primarily the parents of the child, or in unusual circumstances other parties authorized by law.

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Pediatric ethics

31 cards

Card 1

Question: Who is legally authorized to consent to medical care for infants and children?

Answer: The usual surrogates—primarily the parents of the child, or in unusual circumstances other parties authorized by law.

Card 2

Question: What two ethical issues commonly arise regarding parental surrogacy in pediatric care?

Answer: 1) Weight of parental preferences when they conflict with providers' recommendations; 2) How much respect to give children's own expressed medical pre

Card 3

Question: How does the law generally regard children in terms of competence to consent?

Answer: Children are considered legally incompetent; the law designates ages at which young persons are deemed competent to consent (statutory age of consent

Card 4

Question: What limits parental discretion over medical treatment of their children?

Answer: The child's status as a person with interests and rights and the standard of the child's best interests, plus societal obligations to protect children

Card 5

Question: How should clinicians treat the preferences of mature children?

Answer: As children become able to articulate preferences and reasons, they are entitled to increasing respect and involvement, though assessing the reasonabl

Card 6

Question: When may minors receive medical treatment without parental consent?

Answer: There are statutory exceptions in almost all jurisdictions for conditions like drug abuse and venereal disease; many states permit minors to decide ab

Card 7

Question: What is an emancipated minor and how does emancipation affect consent?

Answer: An emancipated minor lives independently of parents (physically, financially, or otherwise)—examples: married minors, those in armed forces, or living

Card 8

Question: Define the 'mature minor' doctrine as described in the content.

Answer: A mature minor is below statutory age, still dependent on parents, but appears to make reasoned judgments; physicians may sometimes honor their reques

Card 9

Question: List the four conditions under which physicians may respond to treatment requests from mature minors.

Answer: 1) Patient at age of discretion (about 15+) and appears to understand procedure and risks; 2) measures are for the patient's own benefit; 3) measures

Card 10

Question: Why should physicians clarify billing arrangements when treating mature minors?

Answer: Because medical bills sent to parents may breach the confidentiality of the minor patient.