RT Book, Section
A1 Lantos, John D.
A1 Meadow, William L.
A2 Stevenson, David K.
A2 Cohen, Ronald S.
A2 Sunshine, Philip
SR Print(0)
ID 1109791136
T1 Ethics, Epidemiology, Prognostication, and Legal Issues in the NICU
T2 Neonatology: Clinical Practice and Procedures
YR 2015
FD 2015
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071763769
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1109791136
RD 2024/10/11
AB Clinical  ethics  in  the  NICU,  unlike  clinical  ethics  in  most  other  contexts,  does  not  consider  the  values,  preferences,  or  wishes  of  the  patient.  The  neonatal  patient  is  unable  to  participate  in  decisions.  Parents  have  the  legal  right  to  make  decisions  for  their  child,  but  only  if  those  decisions  are  judged  by  doctors  or  (if  challenged)  judges  to  be  reasonable  decisions  in  the  circumstances.  Often,  this  is  called  the  “best-interest”  standard,  but  that  term  has  been  thoughtfully  critiqued.  Parents  do  not  always  have  to  do  what  is  the  absolute  best  thing  for  the  neonate  without  regard  to  the  interests  of  others.  But,  they  may  only  do  what  is  reasonable  in  the  circumstances,  considering  the  current  and  future  interests  of  the  neonate  as  well  as  the  interests  of  other  family  members.