Enhancing working relationships between parents and surgeons

The working relationship between parents and surgeons is fundamental in providing excellent health care to children and adolescents. The breakdown of this working relationship has a significant potential for detrimental effects on individual well-being and adverse systemic outcomes. Collaborative, deferential, and problematic partnership types of family participation in medical decision-making are important models to understand in enhancing and maintaining successful working relationships. A pragmatic approach involving prevention, recognition, and resolution steps is outlined that can help surgeons to avoid as well as to respond effectively to difficult and stressful interactions with parents.