Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care NRNP 6665

 
Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care NRNP 6665

Ethical And Legal Foundations Of PMHNP Care

            Thank you, Lawretta, for summarizing articles on informed consent in the pediatric and adult populations. You touched on some essential points. Differences to be considered when it comes to informed consent include age, maturity level, and cultural factors. In the South African culture, a child over 12 may consent to his or her own medical treatment provided that he or she is of sufficient maturity and decisional capacity to understand the treatment’s reason, risk, and benefits of the treatment (Ganya et al., 2016). Some may argue that at 12 years of age, individuals do not have the mental maturity or capacity for responsibility for the decisions made. Although individuals should have some autonomy in their healthcare decisions, guidance must be provided, and tools in place to assess decisional capacity.

            Cultural considerations that impact ethical issues of informed consent are noted in pediatric research. Parents’ or guardians’ informed consent and child assent are essential elements of pediatric research and protect children from possible harm, violation of privacy, and psychological or emotional stress. In the Lebanese culture, for instance, most parents had an ethically acceptable understanding of consent and assent. Yet, some believed consent was not required for questionnaire studies, and some forced their children to participate. In Lebanese culture, parents are legally and morally responsible for managing the child’s affairs, including making suitable decisions until the age 18 (Khabour et al., 2017). Cultural influences must always be considered when making healthcare decisions and caring for diverse populations. Advanced practice nurses must prepare themselves with knowledge of vast cultural differences that affect not only disease presentations but also every element of patient care.

 

References

Ganya, W., Kling, S., & Moodley, K. (2016). Autonomy of the child in the South African context: Is a 12 year old of sufficient maturity to consent to medical treatment? BMC Medical Ethics, 17(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-016-0150-0Links to an external site.