MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICTS WITH THE PARENTS OVER ADMINISTRATION OF LIFE-PROLONGING TREATMENT IN DUTCH NICUs

In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) setting, the patient's parents and the medical team dispute sometimes over the administration of life-prolonging treatment to be provided to the patient. This article focuses on the situation where the parents insist on the treatment, whereas the doctors are of the opinion that the prospects for the future of the baby are too poor to justify (further) artificial prolongation of life. The article provides an informative background on the regulation of the decision-making process in relations with the administration of life-prolonging treatment in Dutch neonatology. It also presents the results of a set of interviews with Dutch neonatologists. These results suggest that the doctors are very inclined to take the parents' preferences into account.