The following is one of a group of principles which recognise the particular needs of children and young people receiving health and disability support services. The principles describe what should be provided when your child or young person receives those services. They are based on expert opinion and a considerable body of literature in New Zealand and overseas and they have been developed after wide consultation.
See a listing of 14 principles guiding provision of health and disability services [1]
Principle: Children and young people should be protected from physical and emotional pain, trauma and distress.
Healthcare and disability support providers should take all steps to minimise physical and emotional pain, trauma and distress.
Children and young people are exposed to many unfamiliar and distressing sights and sounds when they are in health and disability settings. Coping with these and with the experience of being sick or disabled is very stressful for them. See Coping with treatment and hospital [2].
You can expect that health providers will make every effort to minimise these traumas and protect your child or young person from them as far as possible. Specifically, you can expect that:
See the references listed at the bottom of the page Introduction to principles guiding provision of health and disability services [3].
This page last reviewed 14 October 2021.
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Links
[1] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/introduction-principles-guiding-provision-health-disability-services
[2] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/tags/coping-treatment-and-hospital
[3] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/introduction-principles-guiding-provision-health-and-disability-services
[4] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/node/1663?language=mi
[5] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F208%3Flanguage%3Dmi