Norwegian health personnel’s compliance with new legislation on children of ill parents: an exploratory cross-sectional multicentre study

Abstract Background In 2010 the Norwegian Parliament introduced amendments to the Health Personnel Act requiring all health personnel to inform and offer help to their patients’ children and families. We evaluated whether health personnel adhered to their obligations outlined in the Act and investigated whether family and health services characteristics were associated with the degree of compliance with the legislation. Our study was part of a larger Norwegian multi-site study conducted in five health trusts across Norway, assessing the situation for families living with parental illness. Method A cross-sectional study using quantitative data obtained from 518 patients 246 children and 278 …