Acta Paediatr. 2012 Nov 30. doi: 10.1111/apa.12073. [Epub ahead of print]
Medical practice and legal background of decisions for severely ill newborn infants: viewpoints from seven European countries.
Sauer P, Dorscheidt J, Verhagen A, Hubben J; On behalf of the European Neonatal EoL Study group 2010.
Source
Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. p.j.j.sauer@umcg.nl.
Abstract
AIM:
To comparing attitudes towards end-of-life (EOL) decisions in newborn infants between seven European countries.
METHODS:
One paediatrician and one lawyer from seven European countries were invited to attend a conference to discuss the practice of EOL decisions in newborn infants and the legal aspects involved.
RESULTS:
All paediatricians/neonatologists indicated that the best interest of the child should be the leading principle in all decisions. However, especially when discussing cases, important differences in attitude became apparent, although there are no significant differences between the involved countries with regard to national legal frameworks.
CONCLUSION:
Important differences in attitude towards neonatal EOL decisions between European countries exist, but they cannot be explained solely by medical or legal reasons.
No comments:
Post a Comment