Abstract

To seek the attitude of health care professionals regarding clinical practice of children, questionnaires were sent to 276 chief pediatricians and 136 chief pediatric nurses in medical school hospitals, children's hospitals and national hospitals. Replies were 69.2% and 66.9%, respectively. Over 70% of pediatric healthcare professionals addressed children's cognitive competence of lower grade elementary level regarding their own body was considered reliable. Similarly, over 70% stated that for children with the same age they favor to explain of body condition and prognosis of children's illness or medical procedure in clinical practice, except in cases of life-threatening disease and administration of psychotropic drug. The consensus in clinical practice in children was similar between chief pediatrician and chief pediatric nurses. The next questionnaires were addressed to factors of clinical care with only informed consent, not with consent of the parents as in USA. The data received showed over 60% of pediatricians and nurses stated that additional consent of parents is necessary even if the adolescent wants the parents not to be informed, if the problem is a pregnancy, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism or drug addiction. These findings suggest that health care professionals favor to family-oriented decision rather than individual right-oriented decision in Japan