Ethics Section

Hi all,

We're doing a lot of work on how to approach situations in which parents refuse what we consider standard-of-care treatment, for example, steroids for status asthmaticus.

Do any of your institutions have policies, guidelines, or established practices for managing these cases?

We're finding that many refusals of standard-of-care treatment do not meet Diekema's harm principle threshold, making it difficult to justify involving the Department of Children's Services. I'd be interested to hear how others navigate these situations.

Thank you!