Infants born at extreme preterm gestation are at risk for both death and disability. Although rates of survival have improved for this population, and some evidence suggests a trend toward decreased neuromotor impairment over the past decades, a…
BACKGROUND: In case of extreme premature delivery at 24 weeks of gestation, both early intensive care and palliative comfort care for the neonate are considered treatment options. Prenatal counseling, preferably using shared decision making, is…
Background: We aimed to explore the shared decision-making context at the limit of viability (weeks 22-25 of gestation) through analyzing neonatologist's communication strategies with parents and their possible impact on survival and…
Abstract Objective To quantify admissions to neonatal units in England and Wales with potential need for palliative care. Design, setting and patients Diagnoses and clinical attributes indicating a high likelihood of requiring palliative care were…
INTRODUCTION: Advances in perinatal medicine have contributed to significantly improved survival of newborns. While some infants die despite extensive medical treatment, a larger proportion dies following medical decision-making (MDM). International…
The nature and content of the conversations between the healthcare team and the parents concerning withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining interventions for neonates vary greatly. These depend upon the status of the infant; for some neonates,…
AIM: Perinatal deaths occurring outside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are rarely recorded in outcome studies, despite having a direct impact on perinatal statistics. Our aim was to investigate the timing and modes of perinatal deaths that…
When healthcare professionals feel constrained from acting in a patient's best interests, moral distress ensues. The resulting negative sequelae of burnout, poor retention rates, and ultimately poor patient care are well recognized across healthcare…
Introduction: In neonatology, multiple pregnancies are common. Unfortunately, it is not rare for one baby to die. Communication with parents in these circumstances has been demonstrated to be sub-optimal. Methods: Two educational programs were…
BACKGROUND: Mortality and end-of-life decision-making can occur in newborns, especially within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. For parents, participating in end-of-life decision-making is taxing. Knowledge is lacking on what support is helpful to…
Perinatal palliative care has grown out of both an historical necessity in attending to babies in the NICU that face difficult odds of survival, the increasing technology that may avail life-extending, yet technology-dependent, care, and the growth…
