Parental attitudes toward management of newborns with myelomeningocele.

The parents of 50 children with myelomeningocele completed a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward the medical management of their newborn infants. Of the 47 mothers and 29 fathers interviewed, only 26 were satisfied with the information they had received at the delivery hospital, whereas 61 expressed satisfaction with the information given at the tertiary-care hospital. Satisfaction was significantly more common when parents had been involved in decisions about the management of their newborn infants. The people most commonly cited as being helpful in making decisions were physicians at the tertiary-care hospital, spouses and other family members. The most important factors in reaching a decision were the information received at the tertiary-care hospital and the parents' own personal philosophy and social values. Most parents felt that they should have the final decision about the medical management of their newborn infants.