Parents' Involvement in Life-and-Death Decisions in Neonatal Intensive Care: Norwegian Attitudes

This article discusses the general view of parents' role in life-and-death decision-making concerning very premature infants in Norway. The article is based on one qualitative study with parents and a survey among Norwegian health personnel. Our findings show that both parents and health-care professionals are ambivalent with regard to the question of who should decide. Parents who have experienced life-and-death discussions concerning their premature infants emphasize that the physician's ability to communicate and to include them as decision-making partners are more important than the parents' right to an autonomous choice. These findings seem to be in line with the official Norwegian recommendations of the subject matter.