Informed Consent for Pediatric Cancer Patients in Japan and the USA

研究人员在四年的时间里调查了知情同意在美国和日本儿科保健中的讨论和应用。具体地说，调查人员1)参加并记录了日本和美国医生与儿童及其家人的医疗咨询，2)在对儿童采取不同知情同意方式的医院进行了实地调查，3)采访了医生、护士和儿童生活专家。对结果数据进行了研究，以评估a)对儿童使用知情同意的卫生保健小组的结构和职能，b)父母在允许向儿童告知诊断时所使用的评估和分类，c)家庭和社会对儿童的支持系统，以及d)在提供知情同意时发生的变化。鉴于日本儿科医学改革的迫切需要，本报告依靠与美国数据的分析和比较，对知情同意进行调查，旨在实现对儿童知情同意的讨论。出于这个原因，调查人员认为有必要对日本少数实行知情同意的设施进行仔细调查。他们希望研究成果能为进一步的研究和讨论提供依据。

The researcher investigated the discussion and application of informed consent in pediatric healthcare in the USA and Japan over a span of four years. Specifically, the investigators 1)attended and recorded medical consultations physicians had with children and their families in both Japan and the USA, 2)conducted fieldwork in hospitals that had different styles of informed consent for children, and 3)interviewed doctors, nurses, and child life specialists. The resulting data was studied to assess a)the structure and function of the health care team that used informed consent with children, b)the evaluation and categorization the parents used when granting permission to inform the child of the diagnosis, c)the support system for the child in the family and society, and d)the changes that occur when informed consent is provided. Due to the urgent need for reform in Japanese pediatric medicine, this report relies on the analysis and comparison with American data to investigate informed consent.The aim of this research is to implement the discussion concerning informed consent for children. For this reason, the investigators felt it was necessary to make a close investigation of the few facilities in Japan where informed consent is practiced. They hope that the research results will provide the basis for further research and discussion.