University of Hull, UK.
Hull & East Yorkshire Women's and Children's Hospital, UK.
Nurs Ethics. 2018 Nov;25(7):897-905. doi: 10.1177/0969733016677869. Epub 2016 Dec 28.
: There are no universally agreed rules of healthcare ethics. Ethical decisions and standards tend to be linked to professional codes of practice when dealing with complex issues.
: This paper aims to explore the ethical complexities on who should decide to give infants born on the borderline of viability lifesaving treatment, parents or the healthcare professionals.
: The paper is a discussion using the principles of ethics, professional codes of practice from the UK, Nursing Midwifery Council and UK legal case law and statute. Healthcare professionals' experiences that influence parental decision are also considered.
FINDINGS & DISCUSSION:: There are considerable barriers to an effective discussion taking place in an environment where clinical decisions have to be made quickly once the baby is born. This is compounded by the need and respect for parental autonomy and the difficulties they face when making a best interest's decision knowing that this could cause more harm than good for their infant child and balancing any decision they make with quality of life.
: On deciding whether to give lifesaving treatment born at the borderline of viability, it should be a joint decision between the parents and the neonatal team.
目前，医疗保健伦理尚无普遍适用的规则。在处理复杂问题时，伦理决策和标准往往与专业行为准则相关联。
本文旨在探讨在决定给予处于生存边缘的婴儿救生治疗时，应由谁来决定，是父母还是医疗保健专业人员，以及其中存在的伦理复杂性。
本文运用伦理原则、英国的专业行为准则、护理助产理事会以及英国的判例法和成文法进行讨论，并考虑了影响父母决策的医疗保健专业人员的经验。
在需要迅速做出临床决策的环境中，有效的讨论存在相当大的障碍。一旦婴儿出生，这种情况就更加复杂了，因为需要尊重父母的自主权，而他们在做出最符合婴儿利益的决定时会面临困难，因为他们知道这可能对他们的婴儿造成更多的伤害而不是好处，并平衡他们做出的任何决定与生活质量。
在决定是否对处于生存边缘的婴儿给予救生治疗时，应该是父母和新生儿团队之间的共同决定。
