In the Best Interest of the. . .Parents: Norwegian Health Personnel on the Proper Role of Parents in Neonatal Decision-making

Pediatrics
Lars Ursin, Janicke Syltern

Abstract

The role of parents in life-and-death decision-making for infants born at the border of viability is challenging. Some argue that parents should have the final say in decisions about life-sustaining treatment. Others disagree. In this article, we report views from health care personnel (HCP) on the appropriate parental role. Focus group interviews with 5 different groups of HCP (neonatal nurses, midwifes, obstetricians, mother-fetal specialists, and neonatologists) dealing with life-and-death decisions throughout pregnancy and birth were performed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and at St Olav's Hospital in Trondheim, Norway in 2014-2017. Interviews were taped and transcribed. Inductive analysis was performed for each group discussion for emergent ethical themes. A summary of the transcribed discussion was sent to the relevant focus group participants for comments. Our participants felt strongly that doctors, not parents, should have the final say. They did not think parents should have to live with the burden of the decision. The possible disagreement between parents, lack of necessary knowledge, experience, time, and emotional stability all point toward the neonatologist as the optimal decision-maker, wi...Continue Reading

References

Apr 21, 2001·Journal of Medical Ethics·H E McHaffieJ McMillan
Aug 15, 2001·Journal of Perinatology : Official Journal of the California Perinatal Association·S R Leuthner
Jun 3, 2006·Pediatrics·Jehanna M PeerzadaStellan Håkansson
Aug 25, 2009·Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics·Lars Sandman, Christian Munthe
Feb 21, 2014·Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition·Katie GallagherNeil Marlow
Jun 12, 2014·Journal of Medical Ethics·Mirjam A de VosDick L Willems
Dec 3, 2014·Clinics in Perinatology·Steven R Leuthner
Jul 17, 2015·Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition·Katie GallagherNeil Marlow
Dec 29, 2016·Nursing Ethics·Juan Francisco Velarde-GarcíaDomingo Palacios-Ceña

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Citations

Mar 22, 2019·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Lars Øystein Ursin
Sep 12, 2019·Nursing Ethics·Lars Ursin, Janicke Syltern

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