Análise ética dos impactos da pandemia de COVID-19 na saúde de crianças e adolescentes / An ethical analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of children and adolescents / Análisis ético acerca dos impactos de la pandemia COVID-19 en la salud de niños y adolescentes

A pandemia de COVID-19 trouxe impactos significativos para a vida de crianças e adolescentes em todo o mundo. Considerando esse contexto, o objetivo deste artigo foi examinar como as crianças e os adolescentes no Brasil foram impactados pela pandemia à luz de uma análise ética. Para tanto, uma análise interpretativa de estudos brasileiros sobre a saúde da criança e do adolescente durante a pandemia foi realizada. A tarefa de reconhecer essa dimensão ética é importante para entender como as respostas a situações de crise, tais como a presente situação da pandemia de COVID-19, podem ser moldadas e identificar quais as prioridades de ação de acordo com todas as partes interessadas, situando a criança entre essas partes de interesse. A análise demonstrou que tanto os efeitos diretos quanto os indiretos implicam em processos de tomada de decisão que precisam utilizar e sustentar o direito de participação da criança para que a ação tomada esteja o máximo possível focada nos melhores interesses da criança. Contudo, a realidade brasileira tem demonstrado uma exclusão estrutural das vozes infantis. Recomenda-se que mais estudos sejam conduzidos a fim de aprofundar o conhecimento sobre os melhores interesses das crianças e sua participação nas ações tomadas durante a pandemia

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of children and adolescents around the world. This article aims to examine how the pandemic has impacted children and adolescents in Brazil using an ethical analysis. An interpretive analysis of Brazilian studies on child and adolescent health during the pandemic was conducted. The task of recognizing this ethical dimension is important to understand how responses to crisis situations, such as the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, can be shaped and where are the priorities for action according to all stakeholders, situating the child between these parts of interest. Our analysis highlighted both direct and indirect effects surrounding the decision-making processes for children in the COVID-19 pandemic reality. These decisional processes must sustain the child's right to participation to ascertain that the action taken is in the child's best interests. However, Brazilian reality has shown a structural exclusion of children's voices in decisions that affect them, particularly related to the effects of the pandemics in their lives. More studies must be conducted to deepen the knowledge about children's best interests and their participation in actions planning during the pandemic

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha afectado las vidas de niños y adolescentes de todo el mundo. Este artículo tiene como objetivo examinar cómo la pandemia ha afectado a los niños y adolescentes en Brasil mediante un análisis ético. Se realizó un análisis interpretativo de los estudios brasileños sobre salud del niño y del adolescente durante la pandemia. La tarea de reconocer esta dimensión ética es importante para entender cómo las respuestas a situaciones de crisis, como la situación actual de la pandemia COVID-19, pueden configurarse y dónde están las prioridades de acción según todos los actores, situando al niño entre estas partes. de interés. Estos procesos de decisión deben sustentar el derecho del niño a la participación para asegurarse de que las medidas tomadas respondan al interés superior del niño. Sin embargo, la realidad brasileña ha mostrado una exclusión estructural de las voces de los niños en las decisiones que los afectan, particularmente en relación con los efectos de las pandemias en sus vidas. Se deben realizar más estudios para profundizar el conocimiento sobre el interés superior de los niños y su participación en la planificación de acciones durante la pandemia

Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization of children and adolescents in Northern Greece: Retrospective epidemiological study and related ethical issues.

The aim of the present study was to investigate epidemiological data on involuntary hospitalization of underage patients in psychiatric settings and illustrate the related ethical issues. The medical records of 131 involuntary psychiatric admissions of children and adolescents ordered by public prosecutor between 2005 and 2014 were examined carefully. The examined variables involved the place of origin, the place of residence of minors after discharge, the length of stay in hospitals, the discharge diagnosis, the rate at which the minors were introduced to police and other authorities before their hospitalization, and the results of the neuropsychological assessment (WISC II). Data were analyzed by SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The mean age of the minors was 14.19 years (Male: Female ratio; 1.6:1). First, a high rate of incidences of compulsory admissions was found [5-year period (2005-2009):(2010-2014) ratio; 1:1.85] most likely due to organizational factors, which, however, could have been avoided in a more patient-oriented healthcare system. It is most likely that the criteria used for making decisions in favor of compulsory admissions were disproportionately (unduly) broad. In parallel, it was observed that, during 2010-2014, despite the increase in the rate of the prosecutor's orders, there was a decrease in the duration of coercive hospitalization of minors in psychiatric departments of hospitals in comparison to the period 2005-2009 [5-year period duration of hospitalization (2005-2009):(2010-2014) ratio; 2.33:1]. Furthermore, family was found likely to wield considerable influence on the decision-making for compulsory admissions. In addition, the effectiveness of a compulsory hospitalization of minors in a child and adolescent psychiatry department was found largely dependent on the type of the underlying mental health problem. In that respect, low rates of recidivism (7.6%) indicated that the measure of involuntary hospitalization was necessary and effective. It was also observed that the short-term removal of the minor from the family environment was a potentially relieving strategy for both the child and the family apart from the need for therapeutic intervention. The paper concludes by highlighting the role of a multi-stakeholder decision-making process (which entails shared decision-making as an integral component of providing mental healthcare to minors) in facilitating a decision about involuntary psychiatric hospitalization that is proportional and respectful to patient autonomy.

Ethics in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training: What and How Are We Teaching?

OBJECTIVE: This article describes survey results describing ethics/professionalism curricula of US child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) residency programs. This project repeated and expanded upon an earlier survey. METHODS: CAP program directors were sent an e-mail with a link to an anonymous electronic survey. RESULTS: Ninety-nine programs responded with 92 completing the majority of the survey. All had instruction during both training years; reading seminars and lectures were the most common teaching formats. The median number of teaching hours was 10. Teaching was considered inadequate by 22%. Confidentiality, child advocacy, and informed consent were the most frequent ethics topics. Communication, patient care during working hours, and conduct at work were the most common professionalism topics. Faculty and resident opinion differed on certain topics. CAPs were preferred educators in 56.5%. External program resources were available to 87% but over 30% used them rarely or never. Faculty evaluations, 360-degree evaluations, and faculty observations were the most common assessment methods; 38% thought trainee assessments need improvement. Programs were classified into more confident and less confident. More confident programs used available ethics resources more frequently (25% vs 8%, p = 0.30) and had more than the median teaching hours (58% vs 35%, p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the previous study, CAP programs had increased use of interactive methods with more programs reporting having adequate hours. These results are consistent with existing literature confirming the importance of this curriculum but significant issues with adequately educating and evaluating trainees remain.

Intersexual Births: The Epistemology of Sex and Ethics of Sex Assignment.

This article aims to analyse a possible manner of approaching the birth of intersexual children. We start out by summing up what intersexuality is and how it is faced in the dominant clinical practice (the "treatment paradigm"). We then argue against this paradigm, in favour of a postponement of genital surgery. In the second part of this paper, we take into consideration the general question of whether only two existing sexes are to be recognized, arguing in favour of an expansion of sex categories. In the third part, we illustrate the reasons supporting provisional sex attribution: the child's best interest and respect for their developing moral autonomy. This position aims to increase the child's well-being and self-determination, limiting parents' freedom to take decisions on behalf of others, in particular, those decisions concerning basic aspects of their children's personal identity.

The Harm Principle Cannot Replace the Best Interest Standard: Problems With Using the Harm Principle for Medical Decision Making for Children.

For many years the prevailing paradigm for medical decision making for children has been the best interest standard. Recently, some authors have proposed that Mill's "harm principle" should be used to mediate or to replace the best interest standard. This article critically examines the harm principle movement and identifies serious defects within the project of using Mill's harm principle for medical decision making for children. While the harm principle proponents successfully highlight some difficulties in present-day use of the best interest standard, the use of the harm principle suffers substantial normative and conceptual problems. A medical decision-making framework for children is suggested, grounded in the four principles. It draws on the best interest standard, incorporates concepts of harm, and provides two questions that can act as guide and limit in medical decision making for children.

When Parents Refuse: Resolving Entrenched Disagreements Between Parents and Clinicians in Situations of Uncertainty and Complexity.

When shared decision making breaks down and parents and medical providers have developed entrenched and conflicting views, ethical frameworks are needed to find a way forward. This article reviews the evolution of thought about the best interest standard and then discusses the advantages of the harm principle (HP) and the zone of parental discretion (ZPD). Applying these frameworks to parental refusals in situations of complexity and uncertainty presents challenges that necessitate concrete substeps to analyze the big picture and identify key questions. I outline and defend a new decision-making tool that includes three parts: identifying the nature of the disagreement, checklists for key elements of the HP and ZPD, and a "think list" of specific questions designed to enhance use of the HP and ZPD in clinical decision making. These tools together will assist those embroiled in complex disagreements to disentangle the issues to find a path to resolution.

A threshold of significant harm (f)or a viable alternative therapeutic option?

This article critically examines the legal arguments presented on behalf of Charlie Gard's parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, based on a threshold test of significant harm for intervention into the decisions made jointly by holders of parental responsibility. It argues that the legal basis of the argument, from the case of Ashya King, was tenuous. It sought to introduce different categories of cases concerning children's medical treatment when, despite the inevitable factual distinctions between individual cases, the duty of the judge in all cases to determine the best interests of the child is firmly established by the case law. It argues that the focus should not have been on a threshold for intervention but on whether his parents had established that the therapy they wanted was a viable alternative therapeutic option. In the April hearing, Charlie's parents relied on the offer of treatment from a US doctor; by July they had an independent panel of international experts supporting their case although by this time the medical evidence was that it was too late for Charlie. One of Charlie's legacies for future disputes may be that his case highlighted the need for evidence as to whether the treatment parents want for their child is a viable alternative therapeutic option before a court can determine which therapeutic option is in the best interests of the child.

Negotiating Ethical Paradoxes in Conducting a Randomized Controlled Trial: Aligning Intervention Science with Participatory Values.

In this article, we describe ethical tensions we have faced in the context of our work as intervention scientists, where we aim to promote social justice and change systems that impact girls involved in the juvenile legal system. These ethical tensions are, at their core, about resisting collusion with systems of control while simultaneously collaborating with them. Over the course of designing and implementing a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an ecological advocacy intervention for girls, called ROSES, ethical paradoxes crystalized and prompted us to engage in critical reflection and action toward the aim of moving away from conducting research on legal-system-involved girls and moving toward a more democratic, participatory process of inquiry with girls. Our experience revealed two intertwined paradoxes that ultimately served generative purposes. First, in collaborating with legal system stakeholders, we observed a single story of girls' pathology narrated for girls, without girls, and ultimately internalized by girls. Second, in reflecting critically on the ethical implications of our study design, it became clear that the design was grounded in a medical model of inquiry although the intervention we sought to evaluate was based, in part, on resistance to the medical model. We describe emergent ethical tensions and the solutions we sought, which center on creating counternarratives and counterspaces that leverage, extend, and disrupt our existing RCT. We detail these solutions, focusing on how we restructured our research team to enhance structural competence, shifted the subject of inquiry to include the systems in which youth are embedded, and created new opportunities for former research participants to become co-researchers through formal roles on an advisory board.

"But We Want to Work": The Movement of Child Workers in Peru and the Actions for Reducing Child Labor.

The program Edúcame Primero (Educate Me First) is an evidence-based practice for eradicating child labor that has been applied with positive results in Colombia, Peru, and several Central American countries. In this article, we describe the difficulties of implementing the program in two poor areas of Lima (Peru) between 2014 and 2016. Specifically, we discuss three ethical challenges faced during the implementation of the program: (a) the existence of a movement of working children that defends the right of children to work; (b) the polarization of some community-based associations and government institutions on how to deal with the problems of working children; and (c) the use of network indicators in the evaluation of the community's level of cohesion. Taking the Code of Ethics of the General Council of Associations of Psychologists in Spain as a guide, we adopted a consensus approach in planning and research design, combining different criteria of value with the participation of different stakeholders. The implementation of the program in Peru gave preference to developing skills in children over changing attitudes in relation to child protection, although the intervention openly declared its aims when engaging institutions and families. Finally, we address how social network research places special ethical demands on conventional ethical standards. Our experience with this project shows the importance of acting as a bridge between different stakeholders and assessing how all of them benefit from the intervention.

[The Best Interest of the Child in the Case of Surrogate Maternity]. / El Interés Superior del Menor en los Supuestos de Maternidad Subrogada.

This article claims to analyze the situation of children born by means of surrogate maternity contract since these babies are one of the most vulnerable parts of this agreement, so their rights and interests could be affected in many ways. In order to study that situation, in the first place, has been accomplished a brief analysis of the concept of the best interest of the child. Afterwards it is examined the possible violation of the best interest of the child in the cases that have already been examined by Doctrine and Jurisprudence, that is, first the case of registration of these children in the country of origin Civil Registry of the intentional parents, and, in second place, the case of maternity benefit for intentional mothers. The article concludes with a reflection about other situations in where the best interest of children can be affected , such as their right to know their biological origins or the cases of identity problems.

Divulgación de información sobre los pacientes del hospital: ¿Derecho o responsabilidad? / Dissemination of hospital patient data: A right or responsibility?

Los medios de comunicación son un importante actor en toda sociedad democrática. Su rol social en las cuestiones de salud, y en particular en lo relacionado con los derechos de la infancia, merece ser destacado. La manera en que se describen los niños, niñas y adolescentes en los medios tiene un impacto profundo en la actitud de la sociedad hacia la niñez. Un manejo adecuado de la imagen de la infancia que mostramos en los medios de comunicación es vital para contribuir a redimensionar la situación de los niños, niñas y adolescentes en la sociedad y valorar sus identidades, sus deseos y preferencias, sus miedos y sus derechos. Como hospital pediátrico nos cabe una gran responsabilidad respecto a lo que comunicamos, ya que los niños, niñas y adolescentes y sus familias son un grupo extremadamente vulnerable, más aún cuando son pacientes y en razón de todo ello depositan su confianza en recibir una especial protección, eminentemente asistencial y que debe ser inseparable de los aspectos jurídicos y éticos. Hay que considerar la diferencia del uso de la información con fines científicos y docentes, de la que puede ser utilizada como nota periodística, ya que van destinadas a grupos diferentes y persiguen objetivos distintos (AU)

The media is an important actor in the democratic society. Their role in health issues, particularly those related to children's rights, is outstanding. The way boys and girls and adolescents are described in the media has a profound impact on the attitude of society towards children. Adequate management of the image of childhood we show in the media is a vital contribution to the redimensioning of the situation of boys and girls, and adolescents in society respecting their identities, wishes, fears, and rights. As a pediatric hospital we have a great responsibility regarding what we communicate because boys and girls and adolescents as well as their families are an extremely vulnerable group, even more so when they are patients and consequently deposit their trust in us to receive special protection and care, which should be inseparable from judicial and ethical aspects. Data use for scientific and teaching aims should be distinguished from information used in the media, as target groups and aims pursued are different (AU)