Optimizing Care in Pediatric ENT: Clinical and Ethical Considerations When Families Are Difficult

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: One of the most challenging things for many otolaryngologists treating children is not appropriate diagnosis or knowledge of possible treatment plans, but that of working with the family in the setting that may make the execution of the plan more laborious. This can be for numerous reasons, including differing cultural, language, social, economic and intrinsic family factors. When a family is labeled as "difficult", this can impact the patient's care and can be exhausting for the otolaryngologist.

This panel aims to explore a number of scenarios that would be experienced in treating a child with otolaryngologic issues, and to utilize the experience of the presenters from a pediatric otolaryngology, public health, and ethics standpoint to provide attendees a better understanding of the root cause of the "difficult" family and pearls to permit optimal treatment without as much of a challenge to the clinician.

Scenarios that we will be touched upon include:
-When families are told by non-otolaryngologists that surgery is required though they do not meet criteria for a procedure
-Medically complex children
-Families lacking medical sophistication or literacy to understand the nature of their child's healthcare problem
-Mother-infant dyad concerns
-When parents cannot agree on a treatment plan
-Families that have a great suspicion of Western medical management and prefer treatments that may lack any scientific plausibility
-Scenarios in which consent may be required from the court or in which mandated reporting may be necessary

An audience response system will be utilized to create a more interactive discussion.