Medical end-of-life decisions made for neonates and infants in the Netherlands, 1995-2001.
End-of-life decision-making for severely affected infants might be influenced by technical advances and societal debates. In 2001, we assessed the proportion of deaths of infants younger than 1 year that were preceded by end-of-life decisions, by replicating a questionnaire study from 1995. This proportion increased from 62% to 68% (weighted percentages), but the difference was not significant. Most of these decisions were to forgo life-sustaining treatment. Decisions to actively end the lives of infants not dependent on life-sustaining treatment remained stable at 1%. The practice of end-of-life decision-making in neonatology of 2001 has changed little since 1995.
Vrakking
Astrid M
AM
Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Netherlands. a.vrakking@erasmusmc.nl
van der Heide
Agnes
A
Onwuteaka-Philipsen
Bregje D
BD
Keij-Deerenberg
Ingeborg M
IM
van der Maas
Paul J
PJ
van der Wal
Gerrit
G
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003657:Decision Making; D028601:Euthanasia, Active / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009426:Netherlands; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid