Parents perceptions of withdrawal of life support treatment to newborn infants

The decision to withdraw life support challenges health care professionals and parents. Parents need to fulfil their role as parents, part of which involves difficult decision making. They desire to fully understand the care of their infant in order to help in this process. Parents work to a different time frame than health care professionals and therefore require detailed information and support to make decisions. Available approaches to care need to address ethical decisions regarding treatment, pain and suffering, quality of life and decisions to move from active to palliative care. Communication requires an investment of time, repeated discussions and a compassionate approach by health care professionals to educate parents in order for them to make an informed decision. Follow-on care to help parents come to terms with the decisions they have made is a requirement of good practice.