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Medical paternalism or parental autonomy in decision making : a Portuguese study in premature newborns

dc.contributor.authorSilva, Ernestina Maria Batoca
dc.contributor.authorOsswald, Walter
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-22T19:30:26Z
dc.date.available2016-02-22T19:30:26Z
dc.date.issued2010-10
dc.description.abstractHealth care providers and parents may have distinctive roles in the decision-making process regarding the care and treatment of premature babies. In this paper, we explore the process of decision making among doctors, nurses, and parents in premature care units (neonatal intensive care unites, NICUs) located in the central region of Portugal. Forty-one semistructured interviews with doctors, nurses, and mothers were conducted and analyzed. There is evidence that the medical teams provide a considerable amount of information to parents of premature babies, although sometimes unfavorable prognostic data are omitted. Mothers showed a high degree of confidence in the skill and knowledge of the medical professionals and accepted the latter’s role in making decisions regarding the care and treatment of their premature babies. Only when invasive procedures or surgery were serious possibilities was something resembling written informed consent obtained. Ethics committees were seldom consulted. The results show that in the region surveyed, parents neither are invited nor appear to demand a role in making medical decisions that affect their babies. No conflicts between medical providers and parents were detected, suggesting that informed consent and the participation of parents in medical decisions regarding the care and treatment of their babies are not considered necessary or useful in this particular area by the respective parties, in contrast with the tenets of autonomy-based ethics.pt_PT
dc.identifier.citationSilva, E. B., & Osswald, W. (2010). Medical Paternalism or Parental Autonomy in Decision Making: A Portuguese Study in Premature Newborns. AJOB Primary Research, 1(4): 1-5pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/21507716.2010.526171pt_PT
dc.identifier.issn2150-7716 print/2150-7724 online
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/3084
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.publisherTaylor & Francis, Routleggept_PT
dc.relation.ispartofseries1;
dc.relation.publisherversionhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21507716.2010.526171pt_PT
dc.subjectEthicspt_PT
dc.subjectPreterm infantpt_PT
dc.subjectDecision-makingpt_PT
dc.subjectPaternalismpt_PT
dc.subjectInformed consentpt_PT
dc.titleMedical paternalism or parental autonomy in decision making : a Portuguese study in premature newbornspt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.conferencePlaceLondonpt_PT
oaire.citation.endPage8pt_PT
oaire.citation.issue4pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage4pt_PT
oaire.citation.titleAJOB Primary Researchpt_PT
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT

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