Synopsis:

In this Grand Rounds, we bring an ethical lens to the issue of how to respond to aggressive behaviour by parents towards staff.  This is an issue that is receiving growing attention in the community, and within the hospital from a range of perspectives. Thinking about this issue in ethical terms brings to the forefront the potentially competing values that are stake and helps to explain why these decisions are complex and nuanced. We will consider some case scenarios, offer some practical suggestions to assist decision-making and have plenty of time for discussion.

Speakers:

Professor Clare Delany:

Clare Delany is a Clinical Ethicist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and has 15 years of working as a Clinical Ethicist at the Children’s Bioethics Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. Clare also works as a consultant clinical ethics to health institutions who do not have an embedded ethicist. Clare is a nationally accredited mediator specialising in tertiary education settings, and in situations in clinical care where disagreements or misunderstandings prevent collaborative and respectful communication in the interests of a patient’s health and wellbeing. In research ethics, Clare chairs the University of Melbourne Central Human Ethics Subcommittee.

Professor Lynn Gillam:

Lynn Gillam is the Academic Director of the Children’s Bioethics Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. She has over 20 years of providing clinical ethics case consultation, support and policy advice at The Royal Children’s Hospital, and leads research on a range of issues in paediatric clinical ethics.  Lynn is Professor in Health Ethics at the University of Melbourne, in the Department of Paediatrics, where she teaches ethics and qualitative research design in the MD and other health professional courses.