Lecturer and social scientist Dr Erin Turbitt talks about her research and how it aims to better understand how families make difficult decisions.
Dr Erin Turbitt says there's limited research on how people make important health decisions on behalf of someone else. Photo: Jacqueline Middleton.
Dr Erin Turbitt from the UTS Graduate School of Health is conducting research into parental decision-making. Dr Turbitt hopes her research will help drive improvements in the way that clinical trials are designed, ultimately supporting the development of new treatments.
Dr Turbitt says decisions about a child's health are very challenging for parents, particularly regarding the use of new technologies; some of which may not have yet reached a stage where there is proven efficacy or safety data.
“Because of this, the benefits for the child themselves and the family might not be completely clear. And in these cases, a health professional will rarely strongly advise one way or another. So, it's very much up to the parents to decide what option is best for their child and family.”
“We don’t really know much about how people make important health decisions on behalf of someone else. Learning more about the decision-making processes can help us better support those making such challenging decisions,” says Dr Turbitt.
Read the full story on the UTS Newsroom: Decision-making matters