Article Text
Abstract
Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the opinions of practising neonatologists regarding the ethical permissibility of unilateral Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) decisions in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Study design An anonymous survey regarding the permissibility of unilateral DNAR orders for three clinical vignettes was sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Perinatal Medicine.
Results There were 490 out of a possible 3000 respondents (16%). A majority (76%) responded that a unilateral DNAR decision would be permissible in cases for which survival was felt to be impossible. A minority (25%) responded ‘yes’ when asked if a unilateral DNAR order would be permissible based solely on neurological prognosis.
Conclusions A majority of neonatologists believed unilateral DNAR decisions are ethically permissible if survival is felt to be impossible, but not permissible based solely on poor neurological prognosis. This has significant implications for clinical care.
- Neonatology
- End of Life Care
- Foetal Viability
- Palliative Care
- Newborns and Minors
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Read the full text or download the PDF:
Other content recommended for you
- Including patients in resuscitation decisions in Switzerland: from doing more to doing better
- Factors affecting do-not-attempt-resuscitation (DNAR) decisions among adult patients in the emergency department of a general tertiary teaching hospital in China: a retrospective observational study
- An audit of “do not attempt resuscitation” decisions in two district general hospitals: do current guidelines need changing?
- Do-not-attempt-resuscitation (DNAR) orders: understanding and interpretation of their use in the hospitalised patient in Ireland. A brief report
- Improving rates of implantable cardioverter defibrillator deactivation in end-of-life care
- End of life care in the emergency department
- Offering older hospitalised patients the choice to die in their preferred place
- Decisions Relating to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: commentary 1: CPR and the cost of autonomy
- Palliative care registers: infringement on human rights?
- To what extent should older patients be included in decisions regarding their resuscitation status?