title: Ethics in the neonatal intensive care unit: parental perceptions at four years postdischarge.
abstract: Ethical issues for the parents of neonates in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have not been widely researched. A multistage, qualitative project explored 23 families' perceptions of moral conflict and ethical decision making related to the NICU experience. Through in-depth interviews and the use of content analysis at 4 years postdischarge, life goes on (the major theme) and three conceptual categories were identified as characterizations of this phase. This phase, combined with two earlier phases (predischarge and 6 months postdischarge), represents a clinical manifestation of Reich's Theory of Suffering and provides a framework for understanding the parents' ethical perspective. Strategies for nurses that will facilitate parental participation in ethical decision making are presented.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Center for Health Policy and Ethics, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Pinch
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Spielman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003657:Decision Making; D004989:Ethics; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011939:Mental Recall; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012945:Social Values