Informed Consent for Pediatric Endoscopy

Abstract

Informed consent and refusal for pediatric procedures involves a process in which the provider, child, and parents/guardians participate. In pediatric gastroenterology, many procedures are considered elective and the process generally begins with an office visit and ends with the signing of the consent document. If the process is emergent then this occurs more expeditiously and a formal consent may not be required. Information about the procedure should be shared in a way that allows a decision-making process to occur for both the parent/guardian and the child, if of assenting age.

Keywords: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; Endoscopy; Enteroscopy; Esophagogastroduodenoscopy; Informed consent; Pediatric gastroenterology; Pediatrics; Shared decision making.