Issues related to consent to healthcare decisions in children and adolescents

The process of consent to healthcare decisions in children and adolescents often set physicians difficult problems. From what age is a child able to under stand the information given to him or her about illness and treatment? Is all ill child indeed ill the capacity to give his Or her voluntary consent to treatment? How to define and to assess the capacity of an ill child to take part ill treatment decisions? More than the age of the child, it is his or her level of cognitive, emotional and social development and its interactions with illness that will determine his or her degree of involvement in the decision-making process. There is a moral and ethical need to respect the rights and autonomy of every individual, regardless of age. This does not mean viewing children and adolescents as rational and autonomous decision-makers. This implies that we must promote their developmentally appropriate participation ill decision-making with parents and physicians. Therefore, instead of asking, should children and adolescents be granted absolute autonomy ill decision making? we ought to ask, should we treat children and adolescents like people? (c) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.