Fwj. Hazebroek et al., STAFF ATTITUDES TOWARDS CONTINUATION OF LIFE-SUPPORT IN NEWBORNS WITHMAJOR CONGENITAL-ANOMALIES, European journal of pediatrics, 155(9), 1996, pp. 783-786
This study was conducted to gain insight into the attitudes of medical
staff towards life-support of newborns with life-threatening problems
, seen against the background of these children's expected morbidity a
nd quality of life. The opinions about the mode of life-support were d
etermined by questionnaires and the demographic characteristics of the
respondents were noted. Each patient's risk of mortality was scored b
y means of the standardized Paediatric Risk of Mortality Score (PRISM)
. Attitudes towards support were unanimous for 39 of the 46 patients.
For the other 7 patients at least one of the respondents preferred a d
ifferent support mode than that given at the time, The attitudes were
influenced by the patient's risk of mortality. Conclusion Decisions ab
out life-support of newborns with life-threatening problems should inc
lude all the disciplines involved in patient care and should be made a
t an early stage.