2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Ethics of Neonatal Care: For Building the Neonatal Care that Serves Critically Ill Newborns to their Best Interests
| Project/Area Number |
17592255
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Clinical nursing
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| Research Institution | Niigata College of Nursing |
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Principal Investigator |
INOUE Miyuki Niigata College of Nursing, Nursing, Associate professor (80347351)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2007
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| Keywords | Best interests of infants / Neonatal Care / Ethical decision making / Narrative Ethics |
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this study is to explore the ways to build the care that serves critically ill newborns to their best interests. The data was collected through interviews with nurses in NICU and analyzed for their contents. In the process, the author consulted with a lawyer about legal matters.
The nurses were asked what they consider the best interests of critically ill newborns and how they justify their care of those newborns and their parents. The nurses revealed what they had come to believe in their everyday practice with their clients.
As for the best interests, all the nurses mentioned the importance of parents' love of their children. The newborns need to have their parents recognize their existence, that is, the meaning and value of their life, and acknowledge them as a member of their family. Unfortunately, some parents cannot accept the existence of their baby because of their prejudice against his/her illness.
Concerning the care, many nurses mentioned the importance of parents' value system. To work with value system, nurses need to know their own value system as well as that of their client. Then, in order to have parents consider the interests of their newborns, narratives of ethical experiences will be helpful.
When parents cannot accept their infant in spite of the provided care, the nurses consider it possible that the withdrawal of care might be the only way to meet the infant's best interests. However, when it is evident that the infant is abused by the parents' refusal of treatment in spite of his/her promising prognosis, the healthcare agency could appeal to the court for the suspension of their parental rights and the assignment of their substitutes. Another thing very important is recording. It is critical to make accurate records of the decisions the parents made, the medical treatments provided, and the nursing care nurses offered.
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