Involvement in Health Care Decisions: Parents and Children with Chronic Illness

Abstract

Little is known about the processes or the relative outcomes of involving children in decisions about their own health care. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the involvement of school-age children and adolescents in such decisions. A secondary analysis of two data sets composed of individual interviews regarding involvement in health care decisions was completed. One sample was composed of 20 school-age children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and both parents of each; the other was composed of 8 children and adolescents who were having surgeryfor scoliosis secondary to a chronic condition, and one parent of each. Dimensional analysis was used to summarize and contrast the data according to child, adolescent, and parent perspectives across the two data sets. The type of decision, view ofthe decision, involvement in the decision-making process, and satisfaction with the decision-making process were themes common to both data sets.