Can we reduce the number of children on Royal Children’s Hospital waiting lists, stem the flow of low urgency presentations to the Emergency Department, reduce low value care practices by clinicians, and improve mental health services for children?
The child’s right to know is usually raised in discussions about whether a child should be given information about their medical condition – what it is, what treatment is proposed, what the outlook is long-term. The standard ethical position and usual clinical practice, is that children should receive developmentally appropriate information. Even on this matter, there are noticeable differences about what information is appropriate at what stage, and what counts as a sound reason to give that information
