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Background material by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. for Year 2 Semester 1 Med PPSD session on 23rd September 2008
Background
Sufri suffered from long-standing eczema that did not respond to conventional treatment. The physician thought of trying steroids. Being aware of the side effects of long-term use of steroid especially on growing children, she decided to discuss the matter in detail with parents so that they can come to an informed decision. He also wanted to hospitalize Sufri for at least 3 weeks to give relief to the family that was distressed by Sufri’s constant crying and temper tantrums all through the night. In hospital Sufri could be sedated safely to enable him sleep. The doctor was suspicious that failure of response to treatment could partially be due to parental non-compliance. He remembered them mentioning in passing that they did not believe that western medicine was effective in Sufri’s condition and had side effects. He therefore wanted to remove the child from the parents to make sure of treatment compliance.
Discussion issues:
- List and discuss how you will explain the pros and cons of steroid therapy for eczema to the parents so that they can make an informed decision;
- Discuss the ethical pros and cons of hospitalizing Sufri for eczema treatment to assure wellbeing of the rest of the family.
- Discuss ethico-legal issues arising from patients not being compliant with the treatment schedule of their children.