Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1999;81:F84-F91 ( September )

Parental visiting, communication, and participation in ethical decisions: a comparison of neonatal unit policies in Europe

M Cuttini^a, M Rebagliato^b, P Bortoli^a, G Hansenⁱ, R de Leeuw^c, S Lenoir^d, J Persson^e, M Reid^f, M Schroell^g, U de Vonderweid^a, M Kaminski^h, H Lenardⁱ, M Orzalesi^j, R Saracci^k

^a Unit of Epidemiology and Unit of Neonatal Intensive Care Burlo Garofolo Children's Hospital Trieste Italy, ^b Department of Public Health Miguel Hernandez University Alicante Spain, ^c Department of Neonatology Amsterdam University The Netherlands, ^d Unit of Research on Reproduction INSERM CJF 89-08 Toulouse France, ^e Centre for Medical Technology Assessment LinkÖping University Sweden, ^f Department of Public Health University of Glasgow Scotland, ^g Department of Paediatrics Luxembourg Hospital Luxembourg, ^h Unit of Research on Maternal and Child Health U.149 INSERM Villejuif France, ⁱ Department of Paediatrics Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Germany, ^j Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital Rome Italy, ^k Division of Epidemiology National Research Council Pisa Italy

Correspondence to: Dr Marina Cuttini Unit of Epidemiology Burlo Garofolo Children's Hospital via dell'Istria 65/1 34137 Trieste Italy. Email: cuttini{at}burlo.trieste.it

Accepted 15 May 1999

AIMTo compare neonatal intensive care unit policies towards parents' visiting, information, and participation in ethical decisions across eight European countries.
METHODSOne hundred and twenty three units, selected by random or exhaustive sampling, were recruited, with an overall response rate of 87%.
RESULTSProportions of units allowing unrestricted parental visiting ranged from 11% in Spain to 100% in Great Britain, Luxembourg and Sweden, and those explicitly involving parents in decisions from 19% in Italy to 89% in Great Britain. Policies concerning information also varied.
CONCLUSIONSThese variations cannot be explained by differences in unit characteristics, such as level, size, and availability of resources. As the importance of parental participation in the care of their babies is increasingly being recognised, these findings have implications for neonatal intensive care organisation and policy.


Keywords: intensive care; parental visiting; information; ethics

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© 1999 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
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Parental participation in decision making

HD Dellagrammaticus

Fetal Neonatal Ed. Online, 17 May 2000 [Full text]

Re: Parental participation in decision making

Marina Cuttini

Fetal Neonatal Ed. Online, 24 May 2000 [Full text]