TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 9. Law, Ethics, and Clinical Judgment A1 - Holder, Angela Roddey A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. PY - 2011 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - Pediatricians should remember that the child, not the parent, is the patient and that their professional, ethical, and legal obligations are to the child. While parents in our society have been given wide latitude to raise children as they see fit, there are limits at which the state can appropriately intervene: While parents may spank their children, child abuse is not permitted. While parents may choose a variety of educational resources for their children—from home schooling to a variety of religious schools to private and public schools—the state does demand, at least in theory, that children achieve some level of literacy. Pediatricians, therefore, care for children and work with their parents in a social context that requires their intervention in ways that may range from working with parents to make sure they understand a medically complex situation to notifying the state of neglect or abuse.1 This chapter focuses on three areas of complexity in which the law, ethics, and clinical judgment intertwine: (1) Who makes decisions when it comes to caring for children and adolescents? (2) Who is able to refuse treatment—the child and/or the parent for the child? and (3) When is confidentiality an issue for an older child or adolescent? SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6738710 ER -