The greatest pressure to resuscitate the extremely low-birth-weight infant often results from successful marketing efforts that lead families to expect that their premature infants will be cute and healthy.
It is unconstitutional--and unethical--for physicians to participate in evidence-gathering against pregnant women suspected of being addicted to illegal substances without informing them of their constitutional rights or gaining their informed consent.
Neutral, nondirective counseling of women who are about to give birth to extremely premature infants can undermine their autonomous decision making rather than promoting it.
When evaluating the developments and complications of a marginally viable premature infant, physicians and parents must work together to decide on treatment that is in the infant’s best interest.
Richard A. Yoast, MA, PhD, William J. Filstead, PhD, Bonnie B. Wilford, MS, Susan Hayashi, PhD, Jennifer Reenan, MD, and Jorie Epstein
Curriculum changes can help physicians in training diagnose and treat substance abuse, but there are significant barriers to implementing such changes.