A Canadian Perspective on a Child’s Consent to Research Within a Context of Family-Centred Care: From Incompatibility to Synergy

Review of: Zlotnik Shaul, R. (ed.) (2014) Paediatric Patient and Family-Centred Care: Ethical and Legal Issues

“…Some of the most notable advantages of Patient and Family-Centred Care (P&FCC) approaches include greater patient and family satisfaction, better overall health outcomes, fewer lawsuits, and reductions in rehospitalizations and referrals to specialists [2]. However, there remain some substantial issues, some of the most problematic pertaining to resource allocation [2], physician concerns about losing their role as primary healthcare providers and the practicality of involving family members in care planning [3], and difficulties determining who makes up the family unit [4]. The articles within this text come together to provide a strong explanation and analysis of P&FCC in paediatric care settings; one that would be particularly useful for organizations or institutions (and for the professionals that work within them) that are interested in learning more about this care model when considering whether or not to implement it into their current care practices, or conversely, for those that may have already begun to implement these types of 'synergistic' [3] approaches to care and are seeking insight for optimization purposes.…”