TY - JOUR T1 - Why do parents decline newborn intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis? JF - Journal of Medical Ethics JO - J Med Ethics SP - 643 LP - 648 DO - 10.1136/medethics-2016-103534 VL - 42 IS - 10 AU - Hayleigh Miller AU - Nicola Kerruish AU - Roland S Broadbent AU - David Barker AU - Benjamin J Wheeler Y1 - 2016/10/01 UR - http://jme.bmj.com/content/42/10/643.abstract N2 - Objective To explore the influencing factors and reasoning of parents who opt out of intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis for their newborn.Design We conducted a qualitative study with 15 families from the Otago/Southland region of New Zealand. Semistructured interviews explored their choice to opt out of intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis and thematic analysis was used to elucidate themes that captured important aspects of this parental decision-making process.Results Parents opt out of intramuscular vitamin K for a variety of reasons. These were clustered into three main themes: parents' beliefs and values (philosophy and spirituality), concerns about their child's welfare (pain and potential side effects) and external influencing factors (family, friends, media and health professionals). As part of a wider family hesitancy towards medical intervention, the majority of parents also raised concerns regarding other perinatal or childhood interventions.Conclusion Many factors influence parental decision making and lead to a decision to opt out of newborn intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis. Due to strong parallels with other common childhood interventions, these findings have relevance for vitamin K prophylaxis and for other healthcare interventions in childhood. ER -