Wednesday 7th - Friday 9th September

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS OPEN          Deadline: Monday 9 May 2022 

Dialogue across difference: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities

Dialogue occurs when two or more people interact, whether the conversation is verbal or not.  Everything that happens in healthcare practice involves dialogue.  In paediatric healthcare, clinicians not only have conversations with the children for whom they are caring, but also with their parents and carers, their siblings and extended family, and with their colleagues.  Families have conversations with each other, with their friends and wider social group, including people online. These conversations are pivotal in making healthcare decisions. 

But people—surgeons, paediatricians, neonatologists, parents, children, nurses, allied health and so on – are all different! They speak and think differently, have different concerns, values, past experiences, education, cultural and religious backgrounds and professional and personal expectations. These differences mean that people do not always agree about what matters for a child.

In our 2022 conference, we tackle the challenges and opportunities which arise when dialogue occurs across difference. What kind of difference matters ethically? How do we respect difference while upholding our own values and integrity? When should clinicians notice difference, acknowledge difference and accommodate to or change because of difference?

We invite abstracts for oral presentations and expressions of interest for panel discussions that address any aspect of the theme “dialogue across difference”. We encourage use of de-identified case examples of any of the following types of questions:

When should clinicians compromise/accommodate/shift or change in response to difference?

1. To what extent should clinicians’ personal religious, cultural and professional values influence their decision making?
2. What are some of the opportunities that ‘difference’ can bring in paediatric health care?
3. When should differences between families and clinicians or between clinical teams be embraced rather than problematised? 
4. If ‘difference’ prevents or challenges good care for children, what should be done?
5. How are different cultural views accommodated or integrated into clinical care? How much should they be accommodated?
6. Are there some differences that should not be tolerated or are irreconcilable with good clinical care for children?
7. Could it ever be ethically problematic to openly acknowledge and discuss difference?

At this stage, we are hoping that the conference will be a mix of in-person and online, with Zoom presentations from any geographic location welcomed. Logistics will be updated in due course.

Instructions for submission of Abstracts please click here for Flyer

Abstracts should be approximately 250 words, list all authors and their affiliations, and indicate the presenting author in bold.

Cases should be de-identified, but contain sufficient detail to provide for robust discussion by a panel. Case discussion may be led by the submitter, or one of the CBC team. Please indicate your preference.

Please email abstracts and/or cases as a Word document by Monday 9 May along with any general enquiries to: Karen Fellows karen.fellows@rch.org.au. For enquiries about suitability of papers and/or cases, please email Dr Georgina Hall georgina.hall@rch.org.au