Redirecting Care: Compassionate Management of the Sick or Preterm Neonate at the End of Life.

Children (Basel)

Paediatric Palliative Medicine, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Clinical Ethics, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.

Published: March 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • The ethical foundation of medical care prioritizes the value of human life and aims to protect vulnerable individuals, including newborns near the limit of survival.
  • Healthcare providers are not obligated to pursue all treatments when the chances of recovery are minimal; decisions should focus on the child's best interests and minimizing harm.
  • Neonatal palliative care emphasizes alleviating pain, facilitating family bonding during the dying process, and supporting parents emotionally, viewing a peaceful death as a success rather than a failure in care.

Article Abstract

The primary moral commitment of medical care has traditionally been based on a belief in the intrinsic value and significance of human life and a desire to protect the most vulnerable from harm. In this respect, the care of newborn infants who are at the border of viability is no different. Despite the intrinsic value of the life of every newborn, all agree that there is no moral duty of doctors to provide every possible treatment where the prognosis is hopeless. Instead, every action and treatment should be orientated towards the best interests of the individual child and towards the minimisation of serious harm. Decisions about the withholding or withdrawal of life-supportive treatment should be made collaboratively between professionals and parents, with discussion starting prior to delivery wherever possible. The goals of neonatal palliative care are to prevent or minimise pain and distressing symptoms and to maximise the opportunity for private, loving interaction between the dying baby and his or her parents and the wider family. Physical contact, gentle stroking, cuddles and tender loving care are of central importance for the dying baby. At the same time, we must provide psychological support for parents and family as they go through the profound and painful life experience of accompanying their baby to death. To enable a baby to die well, pain-free and in the arms of loving parents and carers is not a failure but a triumph of neonatal care.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8947574PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/children9030344DOI Listing

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