Table 3.

Potential harm thresholds for allowing parents to choose less effective treatment

Severity of harm	Example harms	Example case	Acceptable probability of risk eventuating
Serious	Death Long-term disability	Refusing a vitamin K injection for a newborn could lead to clotting and has an increased risk of death30	Small <5%
Medium	Painful procedure Additional surgery Short-term illness	Refusing a complete surgical repair of a broken leg (because it requires a blood transfusion) and instead opting for an incomplete repair, increasing the need for additional surgeries and the risk of surgical complications51	Medium <15%
Small	Somewhat painful procedure Slightly increased length of illness	Refusing antibiotics for an ear infection may lengthen the duration of the illness52	Large <50%
Trivial	Very short-lasting pain	Ear piercing causes mild pain that quickly resolves53	Certain 100%