Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
11:50
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
[Palliative care in the neonatal period. Part one: general considerations]
P Bétrémieux1, F Gold, S Parat
1Unité de réanimation pédiatrique, hôpital Sud, CHU de Rennes, 16, boulevard de Bulgarie, 35203 Rennes cedex 2, France. pierre.betremieux@chu-rennes.fr
Summary
French law mandates palliative care as an alternative to medical futility. Implementing neonatal palliative care involves recognizing futility, withdrawing support, and creating a care plan with parents.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Neonatal Care
- Legal Medicine
Context:
- French law mandates palliative care as an alternative to unreasonable obstinacy since 2005.
- Neonatal palliative care presents unique ethical and practical challenges.
- Obstetricians and neonatologists recognize the ethical imperative of comfort for dying newborns.
Purpose:
- To describe the legal framework and practical implementation of palliative care in France for neonates.
- To outline the decision-making process for initiating palliative care in neonatal settings.
- To highlight the collaboration between medical teams and parents in end-of-life care.
Summary:
- The legal requirement in France is to offer palliative care when treatment is deemed unreasonable obstinacy.
- The process involves identifying medical futility, discontinuing treatments and technical support, and establishing a palliative care plan.
- This plan is developed collaboratively by the medical team and the parents of the neonate.
Impact:
- Ensures legal compliance and ethical practice in neonatal end-of-life care.
- Provides a structured approach to managing complex ethical decisions in neonatal intensive care.
- Promotes family-centered care and shared decision-making during a critical period.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Continuing Care
Continuing care describes the variety of health, personal, and social services provided over a prolonged period. The need for continuing care is increasing because people are living longer. Many people do not have families or others to care for them. Continuing care is mainly for patients who are disabled, functionally dependent, or suffering from a terminal disease. It is available within institutional settings or in homes. Examples include nursing centers or facilities, assisted living,...
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
Nursing management of pneumonia involves promoting airway patency, facilitating rest and conserving energy, encouraging fluid intake, maintaining nutrition, and educating patients.
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed.
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed.
01:27Ethical Issues
Nurses are essential in patient care, upholding the ethical principles of their profession and effectively navigating ethical dilemmas. Neglecting ethical issues can lead to inadequate patient care, compromised therapeutic relationships, and moral distress among healthcare workers.
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:21Planning Nursing Care I
The planning phase of the nursing process helps nurses set priorities, outline patient-centered goals and expected outcomes, and tailor nursing interventions to align with the aligned care plan. Through the planning phase, the nurse applies critical thinking skills to align and develop interventions according to the patient's needs. It provides continuity of care allowing patients to receive the maximum benefit from treatment. It serves as a pilot plan for allocating individual staff to a...
01:19Standards of Care II
Nurses bear specific legal responsibilities under several federal statutes, including:
01:17Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight, compared...