Psychological support in end-of-life decision-making in neonatal intensive care units: Full population survey among neonatologists and neonatal nurses
article; Belgium; burnout; controlled study; counseling; decision making; human; Likert scale; neonatal intensive care unit; neonatal nurse; neonatologist; newborn; perinatal death; questionnaire; terminal care
Background: Moral distress and burnout related to end-of-life decisions in neonates is common in neonatologists and nurses working in neonatal intensive care units. Attention to their emotional burden and psychological support in research is lacking. Aim: To evaluate perceived psychological support in relation to end-of-life decisions of neonatologists and nurses working in Flemish neonatal intensive care units and to analyse whether or not this support is sufficient. Design/participants: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to all neonatologists and neonatal nurses of all eight Flemish neonatal intensive care units (Belgium) in May 2017. The response rate was 63% (52/83) for neonatologists and 46% (250/527) for nurses. Respondents indicated their level of agreement (5-point Likert-type scale) with seven statements regarding psychological support. Results: About 70% of neonatologists and nurses reported experiencing more stress than normal when confronted with an end-of-life decision; 86% of neonatologists feel supported by their colleagues when they make end-of-life decisions, 45% of nurses feel that the treating physician listens to their opinion when end-of-life decisions are made. About 60% of both neonatologists and nurses would like more psychological support offered by their department when confronted with end-of-life decisions, and 41% of neonatologists and 50% of nurses stated they did not have enough psychological support from their department when a patient died. Demographic groups did not differ in terms of perceived lack of sufficient support. Conclusion: Even though neonatal intensive care unit colleagues generally support each other in difficult end-of-life decisions, the psychological support provided by their department is currently not sufficient. Professional ad hoc counselling or standard debriefings could substantially improve this perceived lack of support.
Dombrecht L; Cohen J; Cools F; Deliens L; Goossens L; Naulaers G; Beernaert K; Chambaere K; Laroche S; Theyskens C; Vandeputte C; Cornette L; Van de Broek H
Palliative Medicine
2019
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0269216319888986" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1177/0269216319888986</a>
Barriers to and facilitators of end-of-life decision-making by neonatologists and neonatal nurses in neonates: a qualitative study
advance care planning; article; child; consultation; content analysis; conversation; decision making; Flanders; human; interview; law; neonatal intensive care unit; neonatal nurse; neonatologist; newborn; perinatal death; privacy; qualitative research; uncertainty
Context Making end-of-life decisions in neonates involves ethically difficult and distressing dilemmas for healthcare providers. Insight into which factors complicate or facilitate this decision-making process could be a necessary first step in formulating recommendations to aid future practice. Objectives This study aimed to identify barriers to and facilitators of the end-of-life decision-making process as perceived by neonatologists and nurses. Methods We conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 15 neonatologists and 15 neonatal nurses, recruited through four neonatal intensive care units in Flanders, Belgium. They were asked what factors had facilitated and complicated previous end-of-life decision-making processes. Two researchers independently analysed the data, using thematic content analysis to extract and summarize barriers and facilitators. Results Barriers and facilitators were found at three distinct levels: the case-specific context (e.g. uncertainty of the diagnosis and specific characteristics of the child, the parents and the healthcare providers which make decision-making more difficult), the decision-making process (e.g. multidisciplinary consultations and advance care planning (ACP) which make decision-making easier), and the overarching structure (e.g. lack of privacy and complex legislation making decision-making more challenging). Conclusions Barriers and facilitators found in this study can lead to recommendations, some simpler to implement than others, to aid the complex end-of-life decision making process. Recommendations include establishing regular multidisciplinary meetings to include all healthcare providers and reduce unnecessary uncertainty, routinely implementing ACP in severely ill neonates to make important decisions beforehand, creating privacy for bad-news conversations with parents and reviewing the complex legal framework of perinatal end-of-life decision-making.
Dombrecht L; Piette V; Deliens L; Cools F; Chambaere K; Goossens L; Naulaers G; Cornette L; Beernaert K; Cohen J
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
2019
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.10.007" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.10.007</a>